Nottingham Forest climbed further above the relegation zone with a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United.
Chris Wilder’s men took the lead through Ben Brereton-Diaz’s spot kick, but the visitors roared back to score three goals without reply.
Callum Hudson-Odoi sealed an impressive brace just after the hour, after Ryan Yates had put them in front.
Forest remain 17th but this win takes them three points clear of Luton Town in 18th. Sheffield United remain rock bottom.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
How the match unfolded
Chris Wood was unable to cap an excellent start for Forest. With just over a minute gone, the Kiwi missed a superb early chance, sidefooting his volley wide of the far post after Morgan Gibbs-White had made a great break down the right.
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In a frenetic early period, Sheff Utd’s Brereton-Diaz won a penalty, with Gonzalo Montiel punished for a lazy challenge in the box. The Chilean dusted himself down and slammed home his sixth goal of the season.
Forest absorbed further pressure when Murillo slid Cameron Archer’s attempt away bravely in the 19th minute.
After holding firm, Forest levelled emphatically in the 27th minute. Danilo linked up with Hudson-Odoi and the wide man did the rest. Cutting inside from the left with a fine first touch, the former Chelsea player left Jayden Bogle in his wake and found the top-right corner with a powerful, curled effort.
United responded well, and the half closed in a chaotic spell as they laid siege to the visitors’ goal. Murillo was forced to make two fine blocks, before goalkeeper Matz Sels stepped up to produce two excellent saves.
The first came in the 37th minute when he rushed off his line to smother a shot from Archer. Then, just a minute later, the Belgian tipped over smartly from a fierce Gustavo Hamer shot.
At the other end, Wood had a great chance to put Forest ahead late in the half, but he could only direct his header on to the bar.
Forest came out swinging in the second half and took little time to claim the lead. Captain Yates was the scorer, volleying home after Willy Boly had nodded the ball down to him from an Anthony Elanga cross.
The Blades continued to show fight as Brereton-Diaz forced a fine stop out of Sels, but the knockout blow felt inevitable.
Again drifting in off the left, Hudson-Odoi danced across the box before finding the bottom corner with ease to add Forest’s third.
Forest continued to search for goals as Danilo fired over in the 73rd minute after a great run, and Wood forced a fine save from Wes Foderingham following a Gibbs-White free-kick five minutes late.
The Blades held it to three in the end, but that will be of little consolation to Chris Wilder and his side, particular Anel Ahmedhodzic who was sent off late for a second booking.
Blades make unwanted records
The second of Hudson-Odoi’s strikes brought up a century of goals conceded for Sheff Utd.
They are the first side to concede 100 goals in a 38-game English top-flight campaign since Leicester City in 1908/09 (102), while they’ve matched Swindon Town’s unwanted record in the 1993/94 Premier League (also 100 goals conceded).
Mercurial Hudson-Odoi
Hudson-Odoi got both his sixth and seventh goals in the Premier League this season in this victory. His goals meant Forest scored three goals in a game for the first time since a 3-1 win over Fulham at the start of April.
His efforts will be integral as Forest look to seal a third consecutive season in the Premier League.
Club reports
Final Premier League matches
Key facts
Sheff Utd have been shown five red cards in the Premier League this season, their most in a single league campaign since 2010/11 (12 in the Championship).
Yates scored his first Premier League goal in this game, becoming the ninth different player to score in each of England’s top four tiers since the start of the 2017-18 season.
Despite making his debut in late January, no player has scored more Premier League goals for Sheff Utd this season than Brereton Diaz, with six. However, the Blades have failed to win any of the five matches in which he’s scored (D2 L3).
Forest picked up their first away Premier League victory since a 3-1 win at Newcastle on Boxing Day, ending their seven-game winless run on the road. Indeed, this was only their fourth away league victory since the start of last season (P37 W4 D9 L24).