Nottingham Forest have piled the pressure on Bournemouth in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League and will be hoping to finish the job as the season approaches a dramatic climax.
Forest beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night, thanks to a 15th-minute goal from Philip Zinckernagel. The result secured a play-off spot for the Reds, while lifted them to third in the table.
Leaders Fulham are already promoted but missed a chance to clinch the title against Steve Cooper's side in West London. Elsewhere, second-placed Bournemouth had to settle for a point at Swansea City, even though they fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3.
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It all means that Forest are now only three points behind Bournemouth, with an identical goal difference and each with three games of the regular campaign remaining.
And they go head-to-head on the south coast in a rearranged fixture next Tuesday night in what promises to be a hugely important encounter. Before that, though, they are both in action on Saturday, with Forest at home to Swansea and Bournemouth away to Blackburn Rovers.
Whatever happens, it has been a memorable season for the Reds, who replaced Chris Hughton with Cooper in September after a poor start to 2021-22. Former Forest striker Glenn Murray has certainly been impressed, though worries about his old team should they narrowly miss out on automatic promotion after such a monumental effort.
"Bournemouth are in the diving seat," Murray told Sky Sports. "They just need to get a draw in the fixture where they play each other.
"But momentum is created over a long period of time - since September 25 when Steve Cooper came in, and that momentum has been building. My one worry for Nottingham Forest would be if they don't make the automatic spot - that will be their belief in the dressing room and what they are aiming for - if they miss out on that, I just wonder if it just knocks that momentum and they take a breath and they're a little bit disappointed going into the play-offs, when they should be super proud of even reaching a play-off spot from where they began."
On Forest's victory over the league leaders, Murray added: "We expected a Fulham onslaught in the second half. I don't think it ever got to the heights that we imagined it would - but Forest were superb throughout. The back three kept 41-goal (Aleksandar) Mitrovic pretty quiet and they never really created too much. And Samba stood up when called upon.
"This situation, only the Championship can throw it up, and they go down to Bournemouth on Tuesday night. What a magnificent game that is going to turn out to be."
As for the drama in Wales, which saw Swansea surrender a three-goal lead against Bournemouth, Murray said: "I think Steve Cooper's message will just be we can only look after what we can look after. He'll be happy with coming away from Craven Cottage with three big, big points. Whatever happens elsewhere in the Championship is an added bonus, and this (Bournemouth's result) obviously is an added bonus.
"He will look at it and see Swansea were 3-0 up and think what if, what could have been, but listen, he'll take it. It's two points gained on their immediate rivals for the automatic promotion spot, and belief is definitely growing in Nottingham."
