Jamie Carragher says a lot of Nottingham Forest's survival is down to the supporters.
Steve Cooper's side defeated Arsenal 1-0 at the City Ground to retain their Premier League status. The Reds battled hard to hold on to the three points after Taiwo Awoniyi's opening goal in the first half.
Playing on home turf has proved to be a fortress for the Reds, who secured their eighth win at the City Ground this season.
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Carragher singled out Awoniyi for praise, after the striker proved "vital" in recent weeks. The Nigerian scored his fifth goal in three games.
"Almost every neutral in the country wanted to see Nottingham Forest back in the Premier League," he told Sky Sports. "I think most of those people will say they’re delighted they’re back again and staying for another season.
"A lot of that is down to these supporters, they’ve made this place a fortress and that man [Taiwo Awoniyi's] form over the last few weeks has been absolutely vital. Any of the other teams down the bottom, what they’d give for a guy who can give them goals and win them games. Great scenes here, they’re a great club."
"For any promoted team the name of the game is just staying in the division - no matter how you do it, just get the job done. Yes, they brought in a lot of players, they spent a lot of money, but I think we all realised how difficult it made it for the manager to actually try and integrate those players," he added.
"At times they had a poor run of form, the manager almost lost his job I think on two occasions whilst lots of managers down the bottom lost their jobs. He stuck in there through the help of the supporters really more than anything and it’s great scenes at the end.
"When you look at the stats of it I don’t think any team in the four divisions - or maybe across Europe - have got a higher percentage of their points at home and that shows the connection he’s got with the crowd and the role of the supporters to keep them up. To get it sorted with one game to go is fantastic for them and you can just feel it in the air, the atmosphere and the intensity."
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