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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Isaac Seelochan

'Survival mojo' - National media verdict on Nottingham Forest win against Brighton

Nottingham Forest are out of the relegation zone after Wednesday's 3-1 win over Brighton.

Brighton took the lead on the night after Brennan Johnson's early penalty miss left the Reds starring at a 12th game without a win. But Forest responded in the second half after an own goal from Pascal Gross was followed by a fantastic finish from Danilo and a Morgan Gibbs-White penalty to seal a vital three points.

Steve Cooper's side now have five games left to secure their Premier League status for next season as they travel to Brentford next. They then face Southampton, Chelsea and Arsenal before ending the campaign away at Crystal Palace.

READ MORE: Neco Williams sent heartfelt Brennan Johnson message after Nottingham Forest star taken to hospital

READ MORE: Alan Shearer makes 'massive' Nottingham Forest comment after Brighton win as he reveals trap

Here is how the national media reported on the game at the City Ground...

BBC Sport, Simon Stone

Nottingham Forest came from behind to beat Brighton and climb out of the relegation zone.

A Pascal Gross own goal in first-half stoppage time was followed by a precise low shot from Brazilian midfielder Danilo and finally a Morgan Gibbs-White penalty sent the City Ground into raptures.

The final whistle brought roars of approval from the home supporters as Forest's 11-game run without a win came to an end.

It was the first time this season they had won a match after conceding first and was enough to lift them above Everton and local rivals Leicester.

Victory didn't look likely as the first-half drew to a close as Forest trailed to Facundo Buonanotte's tap-in after Brennan Johnson's early penalty had been saved by Jason Steele.

Read more here

The Guardian, Peter Lansley

This was more than a tale of two Nottingham Forest penalties – one missed by Brennan Johnson early on, the other scored by Morgan Gibbs-White in stoppage time – but the manner in which Steve Cooper’s side rallied from disappointment to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone with their first win in 12 matches suggests they may have rediscovered their survival mojo.

Lewis Dunk’s handball in the 88th minute prompted such a long VAR review that 10 minutes of stoppage time had been signalled before Gibbs-White followed his strike at Liverpool on Saturday with his fifth league goal of the season.

Brighton, who had led through a goal from Facundo Buonanotte, another young talent off their seemingly endless conveyor belt, could not handle the heat of the City Ground atmosphere after Pascal Gross’s own goal in first-half stoppage time.

Fresh from the disappointment of losing the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United in Sunday’s shootout, Brighton’s aversion to penalties deepened as their chances of European qualification took a knock.

“We deserve to lose the game,” Roberto De Zerbi said. “We played well for 35 minutes in the first half, then we didn’t play with the energy to deserve to win the game.”

Read more here

The Daily Mail, Tom Collomosse

There have been some bizarre games in this Premier League season but this one will take some beating.

Nottingham Forest climbed out of the relegation zone with their first win in 12 matches as Brighton failed to shake off the pain of losing an FA Cup semi-final three days earlier.

Roberto De Zerbi’s team had 17 shots, seven on target, and were technically far superior to their opponents yet Forest often looked more dangerous as Steve Cooper did a number on the Italian.

The Welshman became one of the first managers this season to crack the Brighton code and his team are now a point above the bottom three.

The win was soured slightly by a facial injury to Forest man Neco Williams, who was taken to hospital.

Read more here

The Sun, Graeme Bryce

Steve Cooper's battling Forest hauled themselves out of the drop zone with their gutsiest performance of the season to severely damage Brighton's Euro hopes.

Lesser teams would have crumbled after Brennan Johnson missed a first half penalty, before conceding as Facundo Buonanotte opened his Brighton account on his Premier League debut.

But Cooper's warriors refused to lie down and gave themselves a lifeline when Pascal Gross deflected Renan Lodi's shot into his own net on the stroke of halftime.

After the break they simply broke Brighton's spirit as Brazilian powerhouse Danilo fired Forest in front before Morgan Gibbs-White scored with a late penalty.

Albion sub Denis Undav headed home deep into stoppage time but a VAR check confirmed he was offside to complete a heartbreaking 72 hours for Brighton.

Read more here

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