Nottingham Forest hit seven against Brighton
Nottingham Forest 7 - 0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Chris Wood hit a hat-trick as a ruthless Nottingham Forest scored seven against a woeful Brighton.
Nottingham Forest responded in emphatic fashion to last weekend’s humbling at Bournemouth, putting Brighton to the sword in a stunning 7-0 demolition at the City Ground.
Nuno EspÃrito Santo’s side had seen their unbeaten run halted in brutal fashion at the Vitality Stadium, but they bounced back in the best possible way, recording their biggest-ever Premier League victory against a Brighton side that simply had no answer.
Forest’s intent was clear from the off, and they were gifted an early lead when Lewis Dunk inadvertently diverted Morgan Gibbs-White’s low cross into his own net with just 12 minutes played.
Gibbs-White then turned scorer, glancing a header into the far corner from Anthony Elanga’s pinpoint delivery, before Chris Wood made it 3-0 on the half-hour mark – nodding home another Elanga cross to take his Premier League tally for the season to 15, his best-ever return in a single campaign.
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Brighton had their chances before the break, Yankuba Minteh seeing a one-on-one effort smothered by Matz Sels, while Danny Welbeck’s thunderous strike crashed off the underside of the bar but failed to cross the line.
Fabian Hürzeler reacted with a triple substitution at half-time in an attempt to stem the flow, but Forest were in no mood to relent. Wood prodded in his second of the night from another Elanga assist just after the hour mark, and moments later, Tariq Lamptey’s clumsy challenge on Gibbs-White handed the New Zealand striker the chance to complete his hat-trick from the spot.
Wood made no mistake, sending Bart Verbruggen the wrong way to become the first Forest player to score a home hat-trick since Nigel Clough in 1987.
Premier League: 2024/2025 season
The visitors’ misery deepened when Neco Williams lashed home a loose ball inside the area, before Jota Silva capitalised on a misplaced Verbruggen pass in stoppage time to cap off a remarkable evening for the hosts.
The result sees Forest draw level on points with second-placed Arsenal, who face Manchester City on Sunday, while Brighton remain in 10th, left to lick their wounds after a chastening night on the banks of the Trent.
Forest changes are the perfect recovery after last week's thrashing
Nuno responded to the heavy defeat at Bournemouth by opting for a back five to make his team more defensively solid. However, the real improvement came in the final third, where Nottingham Forest's attacking flair returned. A significant boost for Forest was the return of Danilo to the starting lineup, who had been sidelined in the Premier League since breaking his ankle in August.
When Forest took the lead, it was Danilo who seized a loose ball and found Gibbs-White making a run on the right flank. The talented midfielder collected the pass and surged into the box, sending in a low cross that was inadvertently deflected into the bottom corner by Dunk’s outstretched leg. This goal was another example of Forest's effective counterattacking style, which has become their trademark. It marked the seventh own goal of Brighton captain Dunk's Premier League career, placing him behind only Richard Dunne on the list of players with the most own goals.
