Chris Wood scored a hat-trick as Nottingham Forest returned to winning ways with a magnificent 7-0 rout of Brighton at the City Ground on Saturday. (More Football News)
Nuno Espirito Santo's team showed no signs of being ro🐽cked by their 5-0 defeat at Bournemouth last week, going two better against Fabian Hurzeler's error-prone Seღagulls.
A Lewis Dunk own goal set Forest on their w𒀰ay&💝nbsp;as he turned Morgan Gibbs-White's cross into his own net, then the former Wolves man nodded in Anthony Elanga's corner for 2-0.
Elanga had his second as🃏sist of the game when he crossed for Wood to head home late in the first half, and the duo combined again in the 64th minute, Elanga driving 💎down the right then crossing to give Wood an easy finish.
Wood comp♏leted his hat-trick from the penalty spot when Tariq Lamptey senselessly fouled Gib✤bs-White from a corner after the 69th minute, but Forest were not done there.
Neco Williams blasted in a sixth from close range following a goalmouth scramble, then Jota Silva completed the scoring after intercꦐepting a dismal pass from Bart Verbruggen.
Forest's biggest-ever Premier League victory takes them level 🅘on 47 points with second-placed Arsenal, who face Manchester City on Sunday. Brighton stay ninth, six points adrift of the top six.
Data Debrief: Forest match rare five-goal feat
Forest's victory was their biggest in any league match since 1991, 🗹when they beat Chelsea by the same scoreline at the City Ground in the old First Division.
Meanwhile, this was Brighton's heaviest league defeat since they went down 9-0 to Middlesbrough on the opening day of 1958-59, in the se♎cond tier.
Forest became juﷺst the second team in Premier League history to lose a game by five or more goals, then win their next match in the competition by the same margin.
Sheffield Weꦡdnesday did so in November 1997, losing 6-1 to Manchester United, t🐻hen beating Bolton Wanderers 5-0.
Wood was the star as he became the first Forest player to score a top-flight hat-trick at the City Ground since Nigel Clough – son of legendary manager Brian Clough – against Queens Park Ranger✤s in December 1987.
He now has 17 Premier League goals this seaso🦂n, with only Stan Collymore🎉 in 1994-95 (22) ever netting more for Forest in a single campaign in the competition.
