Nottingham Forest moved out of the relegation zone with their first Premier League away win of the season, defeating Southampton 1-0 at St. Mary's this evening.
Taiwo Awoniyi's first-half strike was the difference between the two sides, in a game that could prove to be a real relegation six-pointer, with the Saints now four points from safety.
Both teams started the night in the relegation zone, so the players would have been well aware of the importance of the game, but it was by no means a cagey affair in the opening exchanges, and there were some great chances for either side.
The first good opportunity of the game fell the way of the hosts, with Kyle Walker-Peters feeding through Che Adams over the top of Willy Boly, but the striker fluffed his lines despite having plenty of time, pulling his half-volley wide of the post.
During the opening 10 minutes, Southampton seemed to be well on top, but Forest grew into the game after a slow start and nearly took the lead against the run of play when Ryan Yates's shot fell to Brennan Johnson, but he could only hit the bar from close range.
That moment probably should have been the wake-up call for the Saints, but the visitors continued to threaten on the break and got their reward in the 26th minute when Lyanco badly misplaced a pass meant for Mohammed Salisu.
Johnson made up for his previous miss by capitalising on the centre-back's error, racing through on goal and squaring the ball to Awoniyi, who coolly tapped home to net his fourth league goal of the season and give his side the lead.
After failing to create any clear-cut opportunities in the remainder of the first half, boos rang around St. Mary's at half-time, with the home crowd bitterly disappointed by the performance offered up by their team.
Walker-Peters created the best Southampton chance of the opening 45 minutes, and he continued to threaten down the right-hand side in the second half, managing to get on the ball in good areas, but never quite being able to provide the crucial final pass.
In truth, the Reds were not at their best in the opening 15 minutes, but Steve Cooper made sure that his side were difficult to break down, and opposite number Nathan Jones responded by making three substitutes just after the hour mark, with Joe Aribo, Samuel Edozie and Adam Armstrong entering the fray.
The Saints dominated the ball for much of the second half, with Forest happy to settle for chances on the break, but the changes made by Jones had little impact, and his side continued to lack the cutting edge to craft an opportunity in the final third.
While the game started with promise, it ended up being a drab affair, with the goal being the only shot on target in the entire match, but Cooper will not care one jot.
His side saw the game out without the hosts posing any real threat, and Nottingham Forest are now up to 15th in the Premier League table, two points clear of the relegation zone.
Dominic Lund
