Vítor Pereira had promised Nottingham Forest would approach this assignment with a “Champions League mentality” and his players did not disappoint him.
A fabulous attacking performance featuring four different scorers (plus an own goal) and a clean sheet not merely succeeded in denting a shell-shocked Sunderland’s European ambitions but also lifted 16th-placed Forest to 39 points.
That is within touching distance of safety and given Pereira’s team are now six points clear of West Ham and eight in front of Tottenham, the struggle to avoid the final relegation place is surely between the London clubs now. A magical evening for Forest fans will have prompted sleepless nights in north and east London.
Hats off to Forest’s fourth manager of the season for having the bravery to field two central strikers in an attacking yet disciplined version of 4-4-2. And to, among others, the excellent Chris Wood, Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Omari Hutchinson for making that system work so effectively.
“I asked my team to play Champions League level and we created a lot of problems for Sunderland,” said Pereira, whose side’s intelligent press and excellent set-piece execution helped extend their unbeaten league run to six games. “We didn’t come here to draw. But we cannot relax. In my opinion we need more points. But our life is in our hands now.”
It did not take long for Forest to hurt Sunderland. The game had barely begun before Ibrahim Sangaré accidentally trod on the hand of the prone Noah Sadiki and the midfielder’s wrist needed to be heavily bandaged.
It was perhaps symbolic of further, and considerable, pain to follow. Much stemmed from dead balls and when Hutchinson played a short corner before crossing to the far post Igor Jesus was there for the header. Although he claimed the goal, a deflection off the back of Trai Hume’s head ensured it was an own goal.
Although Sunderland saw quite a bit of the ball, Forest created the majority of the chances and went further ahead when Robin Roefs suffered an uncharacteristic brain melt and passed straight to Wood.
It prompted a deft one-two between the centre-forward and Gibbs-White before Wood, who has breathed new life into Forest after returning from injury, lured the goalkeeper off his line and shot low into the empty net for his first Premier League goal since August.
The ball swiftly returned there when Igor Jesus headed Neco Williams’s splendid cross, following another short corner, down at the back post and Gibbs-White lashed the ball low into the bottom corner. Gibbs-White has 13 league goals this season, 10 of them in 2026 and surely has a strong case for inclusion in England’s World Cup squad.
At kick-off, only Arsenal and Manchester City had conceded fewer Premier League goals at home than Sunderland but as Igor Jesus scored Forest’s fourth before half-time that record was in tatters. “They punched us in the face,” said the home manager, Régis Le Bris.
That fourth goal came via a gorgeous cushioned volley after Ola Aina’s deflected shot dropped invitingly for Igor Jesus. As Forest’s staff emerged from the dugout to jump for joy, Sunderland fans streamed towards the exits. As he headed for the tunnel at half-time, Nordi Mukiele, Le Bris’s right-back, seemed to be arguing with a few of them.
Early in the second half Mukiele flicked on Granit Xhaka’s free-kick and, despite getting a hand to Dan Ballard’s diving header, Matz Sels could not keep it out. After a five-minute review by the video assistant referee though, Darren England went to his pitchside monitor and the “goal” was duly disallowed for an accidental foul on Sels from Mukiele as he strove to control Xhaka’s delivery.
By now Forest had pretty much abandoned the idea of entering Sunderland’s box and, until stoppage time, failed to unleash any shots on target during a second period full of robust visiting defending – and several yellow cards – as Sunderland strove to restore dented pride.
Although Enzo Le Fée’s late effort forced Sels into a splendid flying save after he chested the ball down and shot from 25 yards, Elliot Anderson stroked Forest’s fifth home in stoppage time. The visibly emotional Anderson, who recently lost his mother, pointed to the heavens before being engulfed by teammates
Le Bris was rather less exultant. “It hurts,” he said. “Forest were very efficient at set pieces. We maybe showed a bit of naivety. At least we fought in the second half. But it’s painful. It’s not the face we want to show.
“It’s a strong reminder about the level of this league, how demanding it is. If you are not at the expected level you get punished really quickly. Forest killed us.”
