Nottingham Forest 3-2 Southampton: Clinical Nottingham Forest move level on points with Arsenal in second after late scare versus Saints

Nottingham Forest held on to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory over Premier League strugglers Southampton at the City Ground, moving level on points with Arsenal in the race for second place.

Only goal difference separates the two teams following another crucial win for Forest, who hung on after conceding a second in injury time, unlike the Gunners who squandered a two-goal lead to Aston Villa on Saturday.

Two stunning first-half finishes from Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi, before Chris Wood helped himself to his 14th goal of the season, looked to have put Forest in the driving seat until a frantic final 30 minutes.

Jan Bednarek guided Lesley Ugochukwu's shot over the head of Matz Sels in the 60th minute and the deficit was then reduced to just one goal after Paul Onuachu climbed off the bench to net a second in injury time.

Following a lengthy VAR delay to confirm Bednarek's goal and rule out Nikola Milenkovic's fourth for Forest, 12 minutes were added on - 720 seconds that felt like a lifetime for the home crowd.

However, propped up by the resilient defence and a goal-line clearance from Ola Aina, Forest's lead remained intact.

Their dreams of Champions League football are now solidified with the win, while Southampton's chances of survival are cut thinner as they remain 10 points adrift of safety.

More to follow.

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