Two first half goals from Nottingham Forest saw Durham fall to a 2-1 defeat on the road.
Nottingham Forest took the lead in the 14th minute through Joy Omewa, who converted from Cerys Brown’s low driven cross, after an initial save from Cat Sheppard to make it 1-0.
Forest doubled their lead 10 minutes later as Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah fired into the bottom right corner from the edge of the penalty area, making it 2-0 to the hosts.
Durham responded well to the setback, with Lucy Watson forcing Emily Batty to make two big saves in the space of a couple of minutes.
The pressure paid off for Durham as Lily Agg pulled a vital goal back, nodding in Grace Ayre’s cross from close range to make it 2-1.
The Blues almost drew level through Mollie Lambert, but her volley struck the back post.
Despite creating the better chances, Durham were unable to find an equaliser.