From losing 5-0 to winning 7-0, here was a case study in how to respond from Nottingham Forest, the Premier League’s answer to the Hulk in that you will not like them when they are angry.
Whatever frustration had built up inside of them after last week’s deforestation by Bournemouth, they unburdened themselves here and then some on a Brighton side in surrender mode.
Starting at the top with Fabian Hurzeler, they were naive to the damage that could be done by Forest, whose trickiest task of the afternoon was not wondering how to contain the visitors but rather which one out of their cast would be the worthiest winner of the man-of-the-match award.
There was Chris Wood, Forest’s first player since Nigel Clough in 1987 to score a top-flight hat-trick at the City Ground. Anthony Elanga, with a hat-trick of assists. Morgan Gibbs-White, making Brighton look like a bunch of blokes with lead tucked in their socks from start to finish. Murillo, made of pure muscle in defence. Matz Sels, pulling down the shutters in front of his goal.
Forest were everything Brighton were not. Energetic, exciting, in control, you name it. They are seven points ahead of Chelsea, from whom they signed Callum Hudson-Odoi for £3million, and they won by seven goals here without their impressive winger even playing.
One of Forest’s specialities this season has been the way they can bounce back from losing. Beaten 3-0 by Arsenal, they responded by defeating Ipswich. Beaten 3-0 by Manchester City, they went to Manchester United and won. Now this, proof that last week was merely a blip.
Nottingham Forest eased past Brighton to win 7-0 at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon
Chris Wood scored a hat-trick, moving his Premier League goal tally up to 17 this season
The result was Forest’s largest-ever margin of victory in their seven Premier League seasons
Forest have their own style. They are direct, in your face, tough. Nobody in the Premier League launches their goal-kicks longer than them. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side came into this contest having sent 121 into the opposition’s half, 26 more than anyone else at England’s elite level.
Brighton are the opposite. There, if you launch the ball long, you might find yourself running laps of the training ground come Monday morning, by order of Hurzeler.
Forest tried going direct into Wood in the early exchanges, though next to 6ft 4in Lewis Dunk, the striker was technically the little one. Trouble is, when Dunk extended one of those long legs in the 12th minute in the hope of stopping a cross, he only diverted the ball into his own goal.
Gibbs-White had found himself in space down the right-hand side. He charged at the Brighton box and fired the ball into a dangerous area. It was intended for Wood, but before it could get to him, Dunk knocked it beyond Bart Verbruggen for 1-0.
Elanga came close to finding the far corner after dashing inside from the left-hand side in the 19th minute, but it was a corner from that same flank which saw it become 2-0 in the 25th.
It looked easy as Elanga crossed into the near post and Morgan Gibbs-White headed it into the goal. But it was actually planned to perfection, as next to Gibbs-White was Morato, acting as his bodyguard so that no Brighton players could even challenge him. It was little wonder Espirito Santo and his staff celebrated the set-piece success with a group hug.
Brighton could have got a goal back in the 27th minute but Danny Welbeck could not beat Sels when one on one. A minute later, Neco Williams struck the post for Forest after an exquisite switch of play by Gibbs-White on his 100th appearance for the club, while Wood also stung the fingertips of Verbruggen from 25 yards.
Forest made it 3-0 after 31 minutes as, while Kaoru Mitoma was fixing his contact lenses on the sidelines, the hosts attacked down the right. The cross came in from Elanga and Wood leaped high to head it in, meaning this is now his most lucrative Premier League season ever.
It was also Brighton’s largest-ever margin of defeat in the Premier League, their worst loss since 1966 and the third-heaviest defeat in the club’s history
Fabian Hurzeler’s men missed the chance to move closer to the European qualification places
On the other hand, Forest stay third in the table, now level on points with Arsenal ahead
Welbeck thought he had gotten Brighton back into the game before half-time when he thwacked the ball from outside of the box. It crashed into the underside of the crossbar and bounced down. To the naked eye, it was over the line, but the referee’s watch never buzzed. Replays showed it was a fine fingertip save by Sels which ensured Forest’s handsome lead was safe.
Brighton’s biggest possession registered this season – 70.38 per cent – came in the reverse fixture at the Amex Stadium in September as the two teams took turns leading before drawing 2-2.
They had been dominating the ball here, too, but with minimal impact. Hurzeler’s selection, which included five forwards and one midfielder, had failed. He responded with three substitutes for the second half. Off came Joao Pedro, Mitoma and Jack Hinshelwood, and on came Simon Adingra, Diego Gomez and Matt O’Riley. There was no introduction for Evan Ferguson, on the bench amid interest from West Ham, Chelsea and umpteen others in England and Europe.
Just as it looked like Brighton might begin to have some joy, Forest attacked. Yet again, Elanga crossed and Wood tapped in, marking the winger’s third assist of the afternoon for 4-0.
It got worse in the 68th minute for Brighton when Forest were awarded a penalty, Simon Hooper having spotted how Gibbs-White was wrestled to the ground by Tariq Lamptey at a corner. Wood stepped up, sending Verbruggen the wrong way for his hat-trick and 5-0.
In the 89th minute, Neco Williams pouncing on a loose ball after some good work by Taiwo Awoniyi. With that, the scoreline was completed, or so we thought. In the 91st, a pass from Verbruggen went straight to Jota Silva, who accepted the gift to make it 7-0.
It was little wonder Brighton were complaining about the nine minutes of stoppage time. They just wanted this day to be done.
