CHERRIES’ long wait for a win at the City Ground continued as they were frustrated by in-form Nottingham Forest.

The visitors enjoyed a mammoth 76 per cent of possession but having taken the lead through Andrew Surman’s stunner, were pegged back by Jamaal Lascelles and a terrific free-kick from Henri Lansbury.

It was a thoroughly frustrating evening for Cherries, who 24 hours earlier had seen every one of their top-eight rivals secure wins.

And the 2-1 defeat meant that the Dean Court side missed out on an away success at Forest on their seventh attempt.

VIEW ALL OF CORIN MESSER'S PICTURES FROM THE CITY GROUND HERE

Boss Eddie Howe made three changes to the team that started the 3-1 defeat to Brentford.

Striker Yann Kermorgant was absent due to a family bereavement and was replaced by Brett Pitman, while Ryan Fraser came in for Marc Pugh and Adam Smith was preferred to Charlie Daniels.

Harry Arter was suspended but winger Matt Ritchie overcame a leg muscle problem to start, while Tokelo Rantie was selected on the bench following a shoulder problem.

Cherries got off to a superb start with just three minutes on the clock. Forest failed to deal convincingly with back-to-back corners and following the second, the ball fell to Surman around 20 yards out, the midfielder caressing an unstoppable strike into the left corner.

The visitors were in full flow and after a Ritchie blast had deflected off-target, Fraser had keeper Karl Darlow at full stretch with a long-range drive and Callum Wilson fired into the side-netting.

The scale of Cherries’ dominance in the opening quarter of an hour was borne out in the statistics, the visitors enjoying 82 per cent of possession and seven shots on goal.

However, all of a sudden Forest turned the screw. Lone striker Dexter Blackstock scuffed a presentable chance, Lascelles saw his speculative effort deflect over and Cherries stopper Artur Boruc punched clear under significant pressure.

Forest’s improvement told when Ben Osborn’s 21st-minute corner dropped to Lascelles and the Newcastle loanee smashed through a crowded box and into the net.

As Cherries attempted to re-establish a measure of control, home right-back Eric Lichaj was booked for a mistimed lunge on Smith and Pitman headed clear of the bar.

Eight minutes before the break, good work from winger Michail Antonio afforded Lansbury a chance 14 yards out but the skipper stabbed at Boruc on the stretch.

Cherries’ Polish international beat away a thunderous effort from Antonio but he could do little when Forest hit the front moments before half-time.

After Antonio had been fouled 20 yards out, Lansbury curled a gloriously-struck effort over the wall and inside Boruc’s near post.

Lansbury tried to repeat his free-kick trick at the start of the second half but, as 618 visiting Cherries fans held their breath, the ball flew just over the crossbar.

Not long after, the visitors were indebted to Smith when the full-back rose high to head off the line after Lascelles had nodded goalwards Chris Burke’s corner.

Cherries continued to dominate possession but genuine attacking thrusts were thin on the ground. In one instance, Fraser’s cross was headed well wide by Surman, who had arrived late in the box.

Wilson went over in the area but referee Nigel Miller was unmoved, while Fraser lashed wildly over from one of Cherries’ many successful short corner routines.

Howe threw Pugh and Daniels into the action, a double change which prompted Forest boss Dougie Freedman to bring on Michael Mancienne in the holding role.

Osborn nearly finished off a magnificent solo run and Lansbury whipped clear of the bar a 25-yard free-kick.

On came Rantie for his first Cherries appearance since November but the game became disjointed and frantic in the closing stages.

And the home side held on to their advantage to register a fourth win in five under new boss Freedman.

MATCH FACTS

Forest: Darlow, Lichaj, Collins, Lascelles, Fox, Gardner, Lansbury, Burke (Mancienne, 68), Osborn, Antonio (Veldwijk, 89), Blackstock (Fryatt, 73).

Unused subs: Wilson, Paterson, Vaughan, de Vries (g/k).

Booked: Lichaj.

Cherries: Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Smith (Daniels, 66), Ritchie, MacDonald (Rantie, 76), Surman, Fraser (Pugh, 66), Pitman, Wilson.

Unused subs: Ward, Gosling, Stanislas, Camp (g/k).

Referee: Nigel Miller (County Durham).

Attendance: 20,637 (including 618 away supporters).