Nottingham Forest survived a late scare to move level with Arsenal in second place with a 3-2 win at the City Ground against Premier League strugglers Southampton.
Only goal difference separates the two teams after another crucial win for Forest, who held on after conceding a second in stoppage time, unlike the Gunners who squandered a two-goal lead against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Two stunning first-half results 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 driver's seat until a frantic final 30 minutes.
Jan Bednarek guided Lesley Ugochukwu's shot over Matz Sels' head in the 60th minute and the deficit was then reduced to just one goal after Paul Onuachu climbed off the bench to score a second in stoppage time.
After a lengthy VAR stoppage to confirm Bednarek's goal and rule out Nikola Milenkovic's fourth goal for Forest, 12 minutes were added: 720 seconds that felt like a lifetime to the home crowd.
However, buoyed by resilient defense and a goalline clearance from Ola Aina, Forest's lead remained intact.
Their dreams of Champions League football now become reality with victory, while Southampton's chances of survival diminish as they still sit 10 points behind safety.
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