Nottingham Forest had some “unbelievable saves” from Brice Samba to thank for clinching their 1-0 win over Barnsley.
It was a second clean-sheet in a row for the Reds goalkeeper - his fourth of the season in all competitions.
And he needed to be at his best late on as the Tykes pushed hard for an equaliser, following Ben Watson’s goal after the break.
Samba has established himself as first-choice between the posts of late, having started the campaign as back-up to Manchester City loanee Arijanet Muric.
Head coach Sabri Lamouchi said the 25-year-old made a big difference on Saturday as he helped Forest bag three points which moved them into the play-off places for the first time this term.
“He made some unbelievable saves,” said the Frenchman.
“At 1-0 down, it would be a totally different game. But 1-0 up, they created a lot of chances and Samba did a great job. He had a great game.
“We suffered a lot, it’s true, but I’m so happy for the atmosphere, for what we are doing.
“After Swansea it was nice to win this game; to win without conceding a goal.
“Now we must rest and think about Arsenal, Stoke and Blackburn.”
Lamouchi knows his side will face a very different challenge when it comes to trying to keep Premier League giants Arsenal at bay on Tuesday night.
He says he will make some changes to the side which toppled the Tykes for the Carabao Cup clash, but does not want to give the Gunners a chance to “humiliate” the visitors at the Emirates Stadium. #
“Of course I will think about making changes, but I don’t want to concede a lot of goals,” he said. “I don’t want to give them the chance to humiliate us.
“I just want to put the best team out there.
“It is a prestigious game and I have respect for the club and the fans who are going there to the Emirates Stadium, but we need to be ready for this fantastic opposition.
“Of course I need to make some changes because some players are tired and others need to play.
“We have a fantastic game to play on Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium. Just two days after, we play at Stoke - it is very hard to play there - and then Blackburn, so we have three away games.”
“We need to make the right decisions,” he added. “For my staff and me, it is very important to make the right decisions.”
