Nottingham Forest 0-1 Huddersfield

David Wagner said his Huddersfield side had shot down Nottingham Forest 'with their own weapon' as a superb counter-attacking performance helped them end Dougie Freedman's side's 13-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 success.

A 14th-minute own goal from Matt Mills and a superb strike from Phillip Billing six minutes from the end helped Huddersfield to a deserved three points at the City Ground on an afternoon when Forest never properly got into their stride.

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Instead it was Huddersfield who dominated the first half before sitting back and seeing the game out after the break, with only Nelson Oliveira ever really coming close for the Reds. The Portugal international twice curled shots wide and saw another effort superbly saved by Jed Steer.

"It was a fantastic game and we did a lot of things right," said Wagner.

"I am very happy with the performance from my team because we spoke a lot last week about what we needed to do, particularly defensively. We wanted to keep a clean sheet or, at worse, concede only one goal.

"We know we are always able to score goals, we are dangerous as an attacking side and we knew we would have a chance if we could keep a clean sheet. But it is one thing to speak about this and it is another entirely to do out there and do it.

"In the second half in particular, this was one of the best performances we have seen since I have been here. All around, we deserved the win and it was a good day for us.

"In the first half we tried to create chances and we did that, it was an own goal but the moment that created the goal was very good.

"In the second half, we did not have to dictate the game, we only had to defend and use our speed to counter-attack. We beat Nottingham Forest with their own weapon, because that is what they like to do."

Forest manager Freedman backed his players to bounce back from this defeat, with the final whistle at the City Ground greeted by boos from the home fans despite the fact that it was their first defeat since a 2-1 reversal at Brentford in November.

"We are disappointed, but we cannot be critical of the players after the last two or three months, we have to go back to that," he said.

"The defeat was self-inflicted, because we tried to do things that we do not normally do. We have to give them credit, because they played well. But we did not do what we do best and we have to get back to that.

"Over the last three or four months, we have been playing at our maximum and we need to get back to that. We normally press opposition sides in little moments and that is what Huddersfield did very well today. We have to give them credit.

"It was as good a display as I have seen from an opposition side at the City Ground this season, so we will give them credit for that. But we will bounce back from this."