Football is a game often decided by the smallest of margins, something Nottingham Forest found out at their expense as they were beaten 1-0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Desperate for points in their continuing battle against the drop, Forest were dealt a cruel blow in the second-half, having a shot cleared off the line seconds before Wolves would go up the other end and find a winner through Noah Dicko to make it five wins on the bounce.
No Costa, no problem?
Wolves were dealt a blow before the game got underway as attacking midfielder Helder Costa was pulled out of the line-up with an injury in the warm-up, replaced by Dicko.
Dicko was clearly eager to impress, and that helped Wolves as the striker aided them in pressurising Forest 'keeper Jordan Smith during the early stages, Mark Warburton's side clearly keen to play the ball around the back despite a few nervy moments.
It was the visitors who managed to create the first chance of the game, unsurprisingly through striker Britt Assombalonga, who left Danny Batth on his backside in the area before shooting straight at Andy Longergan.
Youngster Ben Brereton was looking threatening whenever he got the ball, often demanding it from his older teammates, and presenting Zach Clough with a nice flicked pass which was volleyed wide as the offside flag was raised.
Hosts begin to turn the screw
After those slight scares, the hosts seemed to spring into action a little more, almost taking a fortuitous lead when David Vaughan knocked a low Dicko cross just wide of his own goal.
It was from wide areas where Wolves continued to threaten, and they really should have taken the lead when Dicko got himself in the area to get on the end of a Matt Doherty cross. The left-back's ball in bypassed a cluster of Forest defenders to find Dicko at the front post, the crowd left agonising over a bad miss as the ball flew narrowly wide.
Mad minute made for Dicko
A Marshall free-kick curled wide was all the two teams had to show during the first 15 minutes of the second-half, before a dramatic minute of football saw Wolves take the lead.
Forest looked set to take the lead on the counter as Brereton squared for Zach Clough, the ball breaking to Assombaonga to tap in as Lonergan went to deal with the attacking midfielder. However, Conor Coady rushed back on the line brilliantly to clear, setting up a Wolves counter.
From that point, those in black and orange stormed up the pitch, anticipation in the crowd rising to fever pitch as Andreas Weimann raced forward, eventually squaring for Dicko to slot home from inside the area.
Weimann almost turned to scorer from provider minutes later as a lucky deflection opened up space for a Wolves attack, the former Aston Villa man coming inside from the right, wrapping his foot round a curling effort that bent outside the post.
Visitors left looking over their shoulders
Warburton shifted things around to try and inspire some fortune for his trailing side, shifting Brereton into a striking role and then taking him off, but nothing would come good for the men in red, bar Vellios forcing the 'keeper into a superb stop in the dying seconds, just after Danny Fox had been given his marching orders for a second yellow.
Teams directly below Forest also being defeated on Tuesday mean that it's unlikely to be a costly night for them in the battle to stay up, but a disappointing one nonetheless.