Nottingham Forest clinched a third successive home win as they came from behind to beat Luton Town at the City Ground.
After Harry Cornick opened the scoring, Joe Lolley got the Reds back on level terms in the first half, before handing his team the advantage with a peach of a strike after the break.
Lewis Grabban then wrapped up the scoring late on to make it five league games unbeaten for Forest.
Here’s what head coach Sabri Lamouchi had to say after the game.
You must be pleased with that result and performance?
“We deserved the three points, but I don’t think we were fantastic.
“The reaction was good.
“We didn’t play so well in the first half, but were much better in the second half - enough to win the game.
“Of course, we are happy with the result. To win at home, with the full support of our fans, is really, really important. And for the future of the season, it is really important.
“But we need to play much better than how we played today, especially in the first half.”
What did you make of Joe Lolley’s performance?
“We want to see Joe Lolley like that every game, home and away, because he is a key player for us.
“He can make the difference any time he wants.
“He was man of the match and I know his quality - everybody knows his quality.
“We will need him. We need all of the players in this squad, because the race is very long, tough and very difficult for everybody.”
It took you a while to get going, didn’t it?
“Yes, I don’t know why we started like that. and didn’t make three passes in a row.
“Fortunately, we equalised before the break and the second half was different, with a different attitude and a different commitment. It was much better.”
How important are experienced players like Ben Watson and Michael Dawson to help the team through periods in games when you’re not at your best?
“We need experienced players.
“Ben Watson played unbelievable today. But that is not the first time and it wasn’t a surprise for me.
“Dawson, with his experience, he needs to help the team more and more.
“When you are winning 2-1 at home, you need to try to score the third goal, not to waste time, because anything can happen in the Championship right until the end. We know that from the past.
“We need to play. We need more creativity. We need to score more.
“The players are trying.
“But the way we played in the first half was the total opposite to the plan.”
Did you play under pressure in the first 20 minutes, because of the results yesterday and the expectation of what could be achieved?
“Probably. It was a lovely day, fantastic weather and the atmosphere was so good, so we are happy with the three points.
“The results of yesterday, it’s like that every weekend - we face some surprises.
“We just focus on our performances and results. We just try to be consistent, and that will make the difference in the end.
“We can’t focus on the other teams. We just have to focus game after game.
“Against Reading, we will have to play better than the first half today because they have more quality offensively and they could kill us in any counterattack.
“We just need to play with more confidence.
“We deserve to be where we are because the players are working hard, they have quality and they play as a team.
“I am so proud of my players and the squad because they are friends, they are family and they are involved in this project.
“Nobody can say what will happen at the end of the season. My job is just to try to bring the maximum from each one and get to the end of the season without any regrets. After that, what happens, happens.
“But we need to play as we know we can. We need to trust and we need to believe in our quality.
“Game after game, we will see what can happen.”
Is the Reading game a great opportunity to close the gap on the top two?
“Even with three points more (after Wednesday), it is not finished. But also, with one or no points (from Wednesday), it is not finished.
“We need to focus on the game, on our performance, and play like we know we can.”
Is there anything in the club being linked with Adama Diakhaby? Is a deal close?
“I know the player, he is a great one,
“I don’t know anything from the club because I was focused on the game. I will chat with them.
“But if it is close or done, I don’t know.”
