Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest have joined Everton in dragging themselves back to safety in the Premier League table today in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Southampton.
Cooper’s men welcomed Rubén Sellés‘ Southampton to the City Ground this evening in a relegation zone matchup that both teams desperately needed points from.
Both sides came out looking willing to go after those points, but it was Forest who would draw first blood 18 minutes in through Taiwo Ayoniyi. The Nigerian forward added another to his tally less than 5 minutes later, finishing a nodded assist from Danilo in the Southampton penalty area with a wonderful spin and strike.
Cooper’s men were revved up from Awoniyi’s early brace, but their momentum was quickly stunted when Southampton found the back of the net through Jonas Alcaraz just 4 minutes after their second goal to make it a game.
Both sides continued to take the game to the other, but it was Forest who would end the first half with the more optimistic outlook after going 3-1 up through a Morgan Gibbs–White penalty minutes before the whistle would blow.
THIS WAS MASSIVE….. 🔴⚪️🔴⚪️🔴 #nffc @Morgangibbs27 pic.twitter.com/MSo1bfRku5
— ⭐️NFFCGAV⭐️ (@gavc1980) May 8, 2023
Brennan Johnson had won the penalty by nipping Southampton’s Ainsley Maitland–Miles to the ball as he struck to clear it, striking Johnson’s heel instead.
The home fans went into the break with a healthy lead, but Southampton once again brought the game right back to the Reds, bringing the scoreline to 3-2 just over 5 minutes into the second half. Lyanco beat a crowded box to direct a James Ward–Prowse corner kick into the back of the net.
The power in that header from Lyanco! 💥 pic.twitter.com/r1KOnuDRM9
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 8, 2023
A nail-biting 20 minutes for both sets of fans went by before Cooper’s men once again gave themselves another safety buffer. Morgan Gibbs–White laid the ball up on a silver platter for Danilo with a beautiful back heel from Brennan Johnson’s cross. The Brazilian midfielder delivered a wonderful finish to compliment a move Forest’s fans were no doubt proud of.
Just listen to that reaction! 🔊
A MASSIVE goal from Danilo for Nottingham Forest and what about that flick in the build-up from Morgan Gibbs-White! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/p4lLDSMPbl
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 8, 2023
Southampton didn’t give up on taking something away from the match, making the home side work hard right up to the 90th minute with the scoreline at 4-2. The game provided a very interesting finish form the 90th minute onwards, making for a nail-biting experience for the home fans, who couldn’t wait for the final whistle.
It first looked as if Cooper’s troops had well and truly won the night, when a clever free-kick from the middle of the park was taken down expertly by Felipe and placed cooly around Alex McCarthy on the 90th minute. His goal was, however, revoked following an offside ruling from the VAR.
A whopping 7 minutes of added time was added on to the game, and Sellés‘ men found one last rally, pushing the ball forwards with every chance they got. Their pressure earned them a penalty just a couple of minutes into stoppage time, giving the City Ground all the more reason to hold on to their seats.
James Ward-Prowse converted for the Saints, bringing the deficit back to one goal with a healthy 5 minute chunk of pay remaining.
Could this be the last JWP goal for us. pic.twitter.com/sUayRpvlNE
— ShipstonSaint (@AllwaysPhil) May 8, 2023
Keylor Navas was called into question several times during a seemingly endless additional time period, but managed to keep his side ahead until the final whistle in what turned out to be a hectic end to a hectic afternoon of bank holiday football, which has treated us to 21 Premier League goals over 3 games!
Sean Dyche’s Everton clawed their way out of the relegation zone earlier today, with a shock 5-1 romping of Roberto De Zerbi’s in-form Brighton & Hove Albion. The Toffees sprung into action early with the threat of relegation looming, finding the back of the net within the first minute through Abdoulaye Doucore.
Meanwhile, Fulham went 4-0 up to Leicester City by the 51st minute, only for the game to end 5-3 by the time the final whistle blew!
Whether or not Steve Cooper and Sean Dyche’s sides can now stay above the dreaded drop-zone is another thing altogether, but both teams showed that they are capable of getting the job done with their performances today!
