Nottingham Forest moved out of the Premier League relegation zone after a 0–0 draw with Fulham at City Ground.
Forest had slipped into the bottom three following West Ham United’s draw with Manchester City on Saturday.
However, the point lifted them back level on 29 points with West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur, although goal difference continues to keep the standings tight near the relegation line.
The hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock in a lively second half, but two offside decisions against substitute Dan Ndoye denied them the lead.
Shortly after coming on at the break, the Switzerland international appeared to win a penalty when he was brought down in the area by Calvin Bassey.
Referee Sam Barrott initially awarded the spot-kick, but the decision was overturned after the assistant flagged for offside.
Ndoye thought he had finally given Forest the lead moments later when he finished neatly past goalkeeper Bernd Lenofrom Neco Williams’ pass.
However, the goal was again ruled out after a Video Assistant Referee review confirmed another offside.
Fulham had the best chance of a quiet first half when defender Bassey headed straight at Forest goalkeeper Matz Selsfrom close range.
The match became more open after the interval, with Forest looking the more dangerous side.
Full-back Ola Aina nearly scored against his former club with a powerful volley that crashed against the crossbar.
He was also involved defensively, heading a goal-bound effort from Rodrigo Muniz over his own crossbar.
Forest had another golden opportunity late on when Taiwo Awoniyi was played through by Elliot Anderson, but the striker slid his shot wide of the post.
Despite an improved second-half display, Forest’s struggles in front of goal continued.
Before this round of fixtures, Forest ranked among the top 10 teams for shots on target in the league.
However, only Wolverhampton Wanderers had scored fewer goals than their tally of 28.
This was the 14th time in 30 league matches that Forest failed to score, and they remain without a Premier League win since manager Vitor Pereira took charge.
Substitutes Ndoye and Omari Hutchinson added energy after the break, and Forest arguably did enough in the second half to take all three points.
However, they are now seven league games without a victory, and their next match against Tottenham could prove crucial in the battle to avoid relegation.
For Fulham, the draw keeps them firmly in the race for European qualification.
Manager Marco Silva’s side sit 11th in the table, just three points behind seventh-placed Brentford in a tightly packed mid-table battle.
Following their recent FA Cup exit against Southampton, Fulham’s main objective for the rest of the season is to secure a place in European competition for the first time in more than a decade.
Although they remained competitive throughout the match, the visitors struggled to create clear chances after Bassey’s missed header in the first half.
Still, Fulham defended solidly to secure a point and remain within touching distance of the league’s top seven.
