Sensational Nottingham Forest obliterate Sunderland to close in on Premier League safety

[p]This game represented a huge opportunity for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sunderland/WSzc94ws/"]Sunderland[/a] to boost their hopes of European qualification, and they had the first chance when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rigg-chris/lUGYPTIg/"]Chris Rigg[/a] ghosted in from the right flank, but the 18-year-old’s effort was tame and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sels-matz/Qqo54dB7/"]Matz Sels[/a] gathered easily.[/p][p][b]That was as good as it got for the hosts in a nightmare first half, and they went behind after 17 minutes when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/igor-jesus/zPQTw5fe/"]Igor Jesus[/a]’ far-post header cannoned off [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hume-trai/CfLIw4XG/"]Trai Hume[/a] into the net for an own-goal.[/b][/p][p]The Black Cats’ luck was out for the opening goal, but they were entirely responsible for their own downfall in the 31st minute as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Forest[/a] made it 2-0.[/p][p][b]Goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/roefs-robin/Ao7TtUZn/"]Robin Roefs[/a] passed straight to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wood-chris/Cp7L7Gro/"]Chris Wood[/a], who received the ball back from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gibbs-white-morgan/beZNT1bB/"]Morgan Gibbs-White[/a] and slotted home his first PL goal since the opening day of the season.[/b][/p][embed guid="9373e0d2-58c5-4fe6-95b9-57c27bc51a23" url="https://x.com/NFFC/status/2047781057534067167" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]It got worse for Sunderland three minutes later, when Jesus had time to nod a cross towards the penalty spot and Gibbs-White fired in his sixth goal in six games across all competitions.[/b][/p][p][b]The home fans were already streaming out when Forest made it 4-0 eight minutes before half time, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aina-ola/O28OebFA/"]Ola Aina[/a]’s effort deflected kindly for Jesus to hammer a first-time volley past Roefs for his second goal in as many matches.[/b][/p][p]Sunderland started the second half with a point to prove, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ballard-daniel/b7is4eSG/"]Dan Ballard[/a] thought he had pulled a goal back when he headed home from close range in the 61st minute, but referee Darren England ruled it out for an apparent foul by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mukiele-nordi/MoObMvb7/"]Nordi Mukiele[/a] on Sels after consulting the VAR monitor.[/p][image alt="Match momentum" id="c63b64a1-c163-4141-86eb-2adb5f8a08f9" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="aa6c4aaa-6b16-416d-a1f6-9b6b1ed014db" original-width="1920" original-height="1080" /][p]That decision extinguished any faint hopes of a comeback for the Black Cats, as they began to face up to a fourth defeat in five games at the Stadium of Light (W1) - having gone unbeaten in their first 12 home matches of the PL campaign.[/p][p][b]Forest accumulated more bookings (five) than shots (one) after the interval, but they made that single effort count as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/newcastle-utd/p6ahwuwJ/"]Newcastle United[/a] academy graduate [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/anderson-elliott/KdYCbsbE/"]Elliot Anderson[/a] rubbed salt in Sunderland’s wounds by sweeping home the fifth goal in stoppage time.[/b][/p][p]That came after Sels had tipped [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/le-fee-enzo/hC5yfF2A/"]Enzo Le Fée[/a]’s late piledriver over the crossbar to preserve his clean sheet as Vítor Pereira’s men took a giant step towards safety, while stretching their unbeaten run to eight games across all competitions (W5, D3).[/p][image alt="Match stats" id="516cbe86-9d35-493f-9b89-4b1ff12fad98" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="7b0bba6f-4c5f-4097-b36d-1783f8d22c2c" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]Forest can now look forward to Thursday’s UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Aston Villa[/a] after scoring four goals in each of the past two matches, while Sunderland have conceded exactly that number and remain 11th in the table.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gibbs-white-morgan/beZNT1bB/"]Morgan Gibbs-White[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Nottingham Forest[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/nottingham-UsushcZr/sunderland-WSzc94ws/?mid=0AH7bYWj"]Click here to see all the stats of the match[/a][/b][/p]