Newcastle United 1-3 Nottingham Forest: Chris Wood hat-trick against former club helps visitors to stunning win
Chris Wood #ChrisWood
Chris Wood’s hat-trick was more goals than he managed in 18 Premier League appearances for Newcastle at St James’ Park
Chris Wood scored a hat-trick on his return to St James’ Park as Nottingham Forest ended a seven-game winless run with a stunning Premier League victory at Newcastle.
The result moves Forest up to 16th in the table and five points clear of the bottom three prior to Tuesday’s other fixtures.
Alexander Isak had seemingly put Eddie Howe’s side in control when he stroked home a penalty midway through the first half after going down under a challenge from Ola Aina.
But Newcastle only sporadically threatened in attack and always looked vulnerable to a rejigged Forest side set up to counter-attack at pace.
Morgan Gibbs-White dragged an early effort wide for the visitors, while Anthony Elanga missed two excellent opportunities before combining with the former England Under-21 midfielder to allow Wood to tap in a deserved equaliser against his old employers before the break.
Wood, who was Howe’s second signing on Tyneside, added to his tally shortly after the interval, racing on to Elanga’s pass and shimmying past home defender Dan Burn to lift the ball over goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
He capped a fine display with another composed finish after Murillo’s through ball sent him clear of an absent Newcastle defence.
Elanga and Gibbs-White both had chances to inflict further damage on the hosts, who remain seventh in the table after their fourth defeat in five Premier League games.
Wood and Gibbs-White star for revitalised Forest
Steve Cooper was sacked as Forest manager a week ago after presiding over a run of just one win in 13 top-flight games.
On this evidence, replacement Nuno Espirito Santo appears to have already begun to implement his own ideas to deliver some Christmas cheer to the City Ground.
Having made six changes to the starting XI that lost against Bournemouth on Saturday, he was rewarded by a purposeful display that saw Forest repeatedly cut through the visiting defence with some incisive counter-attacking.
Wood’s sharpness in front of goal belied the fact he was only starting his fifth league game of the season, having largely been utilised as a substitute by Cooper.
While the New Zealand striker will rightly take the plaudits for his match-winning contribution, others in red also excelled.
Forest captain Gibbs-White, who got the better of Bruno Guimaraes in midfield, could also arguably lay claim to being the game’s outstanding player and ought really to have capped a fine display with a couple of goals.
And aside from some wasteful finishing and a poor decision not to slide another first-half pass across to Wood, Elanga provided an excellent outlet for Forest on the right.
Newcastle’s impressive home run ends
While Newcastle came into this contest amid a poor run of their own, there was still an expectation that they would stretch their impressive home record to eight consecutive top-flight victories.
When Aina’s slight contact on the calf of Isak gave them a first-half penalty, which was duly dispatched, they were seemingly on their way.
However, the Swede struggled after that, heading a decent chance straight at Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner and also scuffing a low close-range effort in the second period that the United States international kept out with some help from Moussa Niakhate, who blocked Anthony Gordon’s follow-up attempt.
What would have displeased Howe the most was the way his side were repeatedly picked off on the break, as they fell to their first home defeat against Forest in the top tier since October 1988.
Player of the match
WoodChris Wood
Newcastle United
Squad number67Player nameMiley
Squad number14Player nameIsak
Squad number39Player nameBruno Guimarães
Squad number10Player nameGordon
Squad number1Player nameDúbravka
Squad number2Player nameTrippier
Squad number21Player nameLivramento
Squad number4Player nameBotman
Squad number5Player nameSchär
Squad number36Player nameS Longstaff
Squad number24Player nameAlmirón
Squad number33Player nameBurn
Squad number9Player nameWilson
Squad number7Player nameJoelinton
Squad number20Player nameHall
Nottingham Forest
Squad number11Player nameWood
Squad number21Player nameElanga
Squad number10Player nameGibbs-White
Squad number40Player nameMurillo
Squad number7Player nameN Williams
Squad number22Player nameYates
Squad number4Player nameWorrall
Squad number14Player nameHudson-Odoi
Squad number29Player nameMontiel
Squad number16Player nameDomínguez
Squad number19Player nameNiakhaté
Squad number8Player nameKouyaté
Squad number6Player nameSangaré
Squad number1Player nameTurner
Squad number43Player nameAina
Squad number28Player nameDanilo
Line-upsNewcastle
Formation 4-3-3
1Dúbravka
2Trippier5Schär4Botman33Burn
67Miley39Bruno Guimarães36S Longstaff
24Almirón14Isak10Gordon
Substitutes
Nottm Forest
Formation 4-2-3-1
1Turner
29Montiel19Niakhaté40Santiago Costa dos Santos43Aina
28Danilo6Sangaré
21Elanga10Gibbs-White14Hudson-Odoi
11Wood
Substitutes
Referee:Chris Kavanagh
Attendance:52,207
Live Text
Match ends, Newcastle United 1, Nottingham Forest 3.
Second Half ends, Newcastle United 1, Nottingham Forest 3.
Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Joe Worrall.
Attempt blocked. Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Alexander Isak (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Moussa Niakhaté (Nottingham Forest).
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Cheikhou Kouyaté replaces Danilo.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Joe Worrall replaces Anthony Elanga.
Tino Livramento (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest).
Fabian Schär (Newcastle United) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Fabian Schär (Newcastle United).
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United).
Ryan Yates (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card.
Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Ola Aina.
Foul by Joelinton (Newcastle United).