Toluwani Lasisi
Chris Wood’s hat-trick delivered a firm response to Forest’s last weekend defeat at Bournemouth as he hit three past Brighton at the City Ground, leaving the latter 7-0 down the EPL abyss.
The loss at Vitality Stadium was Forest’s first since early December but they roared back to winning ways in front of their own supporters, registering their biggest-ever Premier League victory against Brighton.
The Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took a 12th-minute lead when Lewis Dunk inadvertently turned Morgan Gibbs-White’s low cross into his own net from close range.
Gibbs-White doubled the hosts’ advantage with a glancing header from Anthony Elanga’s corner, and it was 3-0 just after the half-hour mark when Wood nodded home Elanga’s cross for his 15th Premier League goal of the season – his most in a single campaign in the competition.
Brighton were unlucky not to score themselves before half-time, with Yankuba Minteh shooting straight at Forest’s goalkeeper Matz Sels, in a one-on-one and Danny Welbeck’s effort failing to cross the goal-line after striking the underside of the crossbar.
Seagulls’ boss Fabian Hurzeler made a triple half-time change in an effort to stem the flow of Forest attacks, but Wood tapped home another Elanga delivery to make it 4-0 after 64 minutes.
And just five minutes later, Tariq Lamptey wrestled Gibbs-White to the ground at a Forest corner to give the New Zealand striker a golden opportunity to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot.
The 33-year-old sent Bart Verbruggen the wrong way to make it 5-0 and became the first Forest player to score a hat-trick at home since Nigel Clough in December 1987 against QPR.
Wales; full-back Neco Williams then made it six after latching on to a loose ball deep inside the area.
There was still time for Jota Silva to get in on the act, firing home a low shot from Verbruggen’s misplaced pass in added time.
The win lifts Forest level on points with second-placed Arsenal who play Manchester City on Sunday while Brighton stay ninth.
