Gary Neville has admitted Nottingham Forest have proven him wrong after he thought the Reds were "finished" in the Premier League.
The former Man United defender said he was tipping Forest to be relegated in the last four-to-six weeks, but hailed the "incredible" Taiwo Awoniyi and "fantastic" Morgan Gibbs-White for their roles in securing survival.
Neville thought Forest were "one of the weakest teams" in the Premier League, but heaped praise on head coach Steve Cooper for the work he has done to maintain the Reds' top flight status for another year, following a 1-0 win against Arsenal.
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"Absolutely incredible," Neville said on Monday Night Football ahead of Newcastle vs Leicester. "There’s a couple of times I’ve travelled back from the City Ground in the last four, five, six weeks and I’ve had them down. I’ve been doubtful about Nottingham Forest as anybody and Saturday was a magical day for them.
"For all three teams who came up last year to survive is a brilliant achievement and this goal epitomised them on the day in terms of what they were really about. They get a little good fortune - Odegaard doesn’t normally play a pass like that - however just look at what they try to do.
"They were so narrow, so compact, making it difficult for Arsenal and then that midfield with the two deeper and two ready to spring, and Odegaard couldn’t have given it to a worse player than Gibbs-White - he’s been absolutely fantastic.
"Awoniyi’s run is fantastic, they were two-on-two, still a lot to do but a little bit of good fortune, and like I say, those Nottingham Forest fans, there have been times in this last five or six weeks where I have to say I thought they were finished. They looked to me to be one of the weakest teams but Steve Cooper has proven us all wrong - as have those players."
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