Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has said that his side's hard-fought win against bottom side Southampton is a reminder for his players about the competitiveness of the Premier League. 

Forest raced to a 3-0 lead at half-time through goals from Elliot Anderson, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Chris Wood, but the Saints put on a valiant display after the restart to set up a nervy finish. 

Captain Jan Bednarek on the hour and substitute Paul Onuachu in the stoppage time scored for Ivan Juric's side but Nuno's side held on for a 3-2 win to move level on 44 points with second-placed Arsenal. 

"We won the game and that is more important. We knew it was going to be tough, they compete very well," the Forest manager told Sky Sports after the narrow win. 

"This league is very competitive and any team can win any game. That is a warning."

Nuno rued Forest's inability to put the game beyond doubt as Nikola Milenkovic's headed goal in the 64th minute was overturned by the VAR after Wood was deemed to have interfered with the play from an offside position. 

There were also chances for Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga and Wood to increase Forest's advantage, but Onuachu's late strike provided Juric's side with more impetus. 

Ola Aina had to clear Bednarek's header off the line in the 94th minute to secure the three points for the hosts. 

"We had chances to kill the game. Aina's moment was important because we were not able to kill the game," Nuno said. 

"The game had a lot of stoppages in the second half. Both teams couldn't flow. That is always an advantage for the team who wants to come back in the game.

"There is always pressure in football. Southampton had pressure but a different one. The game against Liverpool was very demanding on us with focus and intensity."

The result extended Forest's unbeaten run in the league to eight matches with them having won seven of those. It is their longest streak in the top division since a run of 25 unbeaten games in 1995.

Meanwhile, Southampton manager Ivan Juric said that it is a "pity" his side is "not ready for 90 minutes." 

"We played with heart and intensity in the second half and we scored. That is how we have to score," he told BBC Sport. 

"We are a competitive team but if we are down 10% then we are not competitive. I hope a first half like that never happens again.

"Second half we fight and score twice. Aina saved another one. At Manchester United for 80 minutes, in the second half today, we were good. But we are not ready for 90 minutes and that is a real pity."

Southampton had led United before three goals in the final 12 minutes resulted in a 3-1 defeat, and they were also the best team on the field in the second half against Forest. 

But they have an uphill task to survive in the Premier League this season as they find themselves with only six points after 22 games and 10 points behind 17th-placed Wolves.