Nottingham Forest produced a sensational response to their 5-0 defeat at Bournemouth last weekend, thrashing Brighton 7-0 at the City Ground in their biggest-ever Premier League victory.
Determined to bounce back, Forest wasted no time asserting their dominance. Their opener arrived in the 12th minute when Lewis Dunk accidentally diverted Morgan Gibbs-White’s low cross into his own net from close range.
Gibbs-White then got on the scoresheet himself, glancing a header into the net from Anthony Elanga’s pinpoint corner. By the 31st minute, the hosts had a commanding 3-0 lead as Chris Wood nodded home Elanga’s cross, marking his 15th Premier League goal of the campaign—a personal best for a single season.
Brighton had chances to respond before the break, but Yankuba Minteh failed to beat Matz Sels in a one-on-one, and Danny Welbeck’s thunderous effort struck the underside of the crossbar but didn’t cross the line.
Fabian Hurzeler attempted to shift the momentum with three substitutions at halftime, but Forest remained relentless. Wood tapped in yet another Elanga delivery in the 64th minute to make it 4-0.
Just five minutes later, Tariq Lamptey’s foul on Gibbs-White at a corner handed Wood the perfect opportunity to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot. The New Zealand international made no mistake, sending Bart Verbruggen the wrong way to secure his treble—the first Forest player to do so at home since Nigel Clough in 1987.
Wales international Neco Williams added a sixth, reacting quickest to a loose ball inside the area, before Jota Silva capitalized on Verbruggen’s misplaced pass in added time to complete the demolition.
The emphatic victory brings Forest level on points with second-placed Arsenal, who face Manchester City on Sunday, while Brighton remain in ninth.
SOURCE: BBC
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