Morgan Gibbs-White’s stunning second-half hat-trick gave Nottingham Forest a crucial 4-1 home win over Burnley to boost their survival hopes.
Forest had been trailing 1-0 before Gibbs-White's heroics sparked a dramatic turnaround to move Vitor Pereira's side five points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham, who occupy the final relegation spot with five games left.
Gibbs-White's 15-minute hat-trick, the first of his career, heaps further pain on Spurs after they had tried to sign him last summer.
Forest's comeback win at the City Ground leaves second-bottom Burnley on the brink of an immediate return to the Championship, with the Clarets remaining 12 points from safety.
Burnley's relegation will be confirmed if West Ham win at Crystal Palace on Monday, live on Your Site, and Scott Parker's side fails to beat Manchester City at home on Wednesday, live on Your Site.
Burnley had led through Zian Flemming's first-half stoppage-time opener before Gibbs-White turned the game on its head.
He equalised with their first shot on target in the 62nd minute before putting Forest ahead just seven minutes later with a superb first-time volleyed back-post finish.
The England international then bagged his hat-trick in the 77th minute with a wonderful header to become only the third player to score a Premier League hat-trick for Nottingham Forest after Kevin Campbell and Chris Wood.
Substitute Igor Jesus added a stoppage-time fourth to maintain the feel-good factor at the City Ground following the midweek win over Porto to reach the Europa League semi-finals.
Forest, who scored with every shot on target, secured their first home league win since December to extend their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.
Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White speaking to Your Site:
"Every game between now and the end of the season is going to be important for us, no matter if it's the Europa League or Premier League.
"Every game is a final, and we have to treat it like that. Those were the manager's words, and it was clear to us that we have to give everything.
"We're going to do that from now until the end of the season.
"It's a massive step [towards Premier League survival]. We just have to sit back now and see what other people do."
Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira speaking to Your Site:
"At half-time, we need to change something and we try to change not only one player, but the different ways to find the spaces and to demand the spirit of the player to fight for our lives.
"In the end, they showed the character and quality to score four goals. I am very happy with them and that's why I gave them one more day to rest.
"As a team and with the supporters, we proved that we are together and believe until the end.
"Now it's time to rest and to start to think about Sunderland. Each point you get is a step forward. We need to go with the mentality to get points everywhere… it's not about another team, it's about us."
Burnley boss Scott Parker speaking to Your Site:
"It's hugely disappointing. I thought we were really good in the first half, coming to a place where they're fighting for their lives, I think we did everything we needed to get ourselves in front.
"Even in the second half, we came out, and it was looking the same way as the first half, but there's no real defending of the final 30 minutes where we folded in that moment of the [first Forest] goal.
"After that, four goals in the second half was hugely disappointing.
"It's definitely a mentality in that moment. In any game, momentum swings and you can't control it at certain moments, but we couldn't manage to put our guard up and jab it out.
"We looked very weak and we didn't manage that. I understand the scars this group has; I saw that today.
"When they scored their first goal, I felt a lot of doubt and lacked a bit of belief. In a deadly league like this, you can be on the end of one [a bad result] and that was the case.
"The inconsistencies of us as team have been there to see [this season]. There's been elements of some really good performances and partly in games, but for elite players at this level, consistency is a key part of it.
"At times, we've shown two different sides to us. Never has there been a time where we lack an effort, but at certain moments, we've fallen a little bit short."
Elliot Anderson returned to the Forest side for the first time since the death of his mother, having missed Thursday's Europa League quarter-final win over Porto.
The England midfielder laid flowers in the centre circle ahead of kick-off, and there was a minute's applause as the City Ground got behind the 23-year-old.
