Nottingham Forest moved level on points with second-placed Arsenal after withstanding an unlikely comeback by bottom club Southampton at the City Ground.
The hosts looked in total control with a 3-0 lead inside 41 minutes, only for a fortuitous Jan Bednarek goal and Paul Onuachu’s thumping header – in the first of 12 added minutes – setting up a tense and thrilling finale.
Saints, who had battled back brilliantly in the second half, then almost snatched an equaliser but Ola Aina spectacularly cleared Bednarek’s header off the line.
Such drama looked unlikely for much of the match after Nottingham took 11th-minute lead when Elliot Anderson drove from midfield and shot low into the bottom left corner for his first goal for the club.
Callum Hudson-Odoi buried the second from the edge of the box in the 28th minute after another defensive mistake by Southampton and Chris Wood headed in his 14th goal of the season to add a third before half-time.
Unbeaten now in eight league games with seven wins and a draw, Nottingham remain third on goal difference, but are seven points clear of sixth-placed Bournemouth in a further boost to their hopes of qualifying for Europe next season.
Both they and Arsenal are six points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Southampton have lost 18 games this season, including all five league matches since Ivan Juric was appointed in December, and stay bottom of the table with six points.
