Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Nottingham Forest have guaranteed themselves a top-six finish - at the very least. But they are not done yet.
A huge victory at Fulham, coupled with Bournemouth drawing against Swansea City, has cut the gap between the two teams to just three points. With three games to play. And with that mouth-watering clash at the Vitality Stadium to come next week. The battle for second is on. The Reds are making sure of that. And you wouldn’t bet against them getting over the line, with the way they are playing.
They had to give it everything at Craven Cottage. It was a superb performance from front to back. But especially from the defence. They were rock-solid against opponents who threw everything bar the kitchen sink at them. The last time the two teams met, in October, Steve Cooper was barely a month into the job. He had overseen a five-match unbeaten start, drawing against Millwall before going on a four-match winning run.
Read more: Forest fans go wild after ‘masterclass’ at Fulham makes dream a reality
Read more: Bournemouth fans fume despite Swansea comeback and fire Forest message
The Cottagers put a stop to that streak at the City Ground, though. Even if the final 4-0 scoreline was very much not reflective of the overall match. Still, back then, the thought of competing for a top-six finish come the business end of the campaign felt like a bit of a stretch. Let alone fighting for automatic promotion.
Forest are a different team now. They have made terrific progress since then. Cooper has done an outstanding job. They had to work hard for the three points in the capital. But they were thoroughly deserved.
Now there is a big week ahead. That match with the Cherries just got even tastier. But before then, there is the small matter of a final home game of the season - and against Cooper’s old club, the Swans, too.
