Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest. Premier League.
St James' Park, NewcastleAttendance52,207.
Report and free highlights as Nottingham Forest come from behind to win 3-1 at Newcastle; Alexander Isak penalty opened scoring before Chris Wood scored hat-trick against former club; Newcastle have won one of their last seven games; Nuno Espirito Santo claims first win as Forest boss
Wednesday 27 December 2023 10:51, UK
Newcastle's troubles continued to deepen as Chris Wood scored a hat-trick against his former club to help Nottingham Forest to a 3-1 win at St James' Park.
December may have started with a victory over Manchester United but it's turned into a miserable month for Eddie Howe's side, who have now won one of their last seven games and been eliminated from the Champions League and Carabao Cup in a matter of weeks.
It all started so well for the hosts on Boxing Day, with Alexander Isak's penalty giving them the lead against a Forest side that began the game slowly in Nuno Espirito Santo's second match in charge.
But Wood led the fightback against the club he left in January, equalising in first-half stoppage time before producing two brilliantly composed finishes to complete his hat-trick.
Newcastle never looked like producing a comeback of their own and now face the daunting prospect of starting 2024 with fixtures against Liverpool, Sunderland, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Wood scored once at St James’ Park during his 12 months as a Newcastle player but hit three in 14 minutes on his return in a Forest shirt.
He was one of just five players retained from the defeat to Bournemouth in Nuno’s first game in charge and those changes seemed to contribute to a disjointed first 30 minutes from the visitors.
After Morgan Gibbs-White failed to punish Lewis Miley for conceding possession in his own penalty area, Forest found themselves dominated by Newcastle and were behind after 23 minutes when Isak converted the penalty he won thanks to Ola Aina’s clumsy tackle.
But the hosts were vulnerable to the pace of Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi and found themselves increasingly exposed on the counter-attack.
One such foray forward should have led to the opener but Elanga decided to shoot from a tight angle instead of setting up Wood for a tap-in, with the grateful Marin Dubravka making the save.
But Elanga would not make the same mistake twice and claimed the assist for Wood’s first goal after squaring from the byline following Morgan Gibbs-White’s powerful run.
Forest started the second half where they ended the first, with Gibbs-White and Elanga missing presentable chances before Wood showed them how it was done, dinking a classy finish over Dubravka in the 53rd minute.
Newcastle’s woeful offside trap then presented the New Zealand international with the freedom of St James’ Park as he secured his hat-trick, fooling Dubravka before sliding the ball into the empty net.
Moussa Niakhate’s goal-line block with his shoulder preserved Forest’s two-goal advantage - despite Newcastle’s claims for handball - while Bruno Guimaraes and Callum Wilson also had penalty claims correctly turned down.
Newcastle now find themselves seven points outside the top four and 11 points off Premier League leaders Arsenal. Their hopes of returning to the Champions League - and competing for the FA Cup - may hinge on their next four matches.
Nuno revealed the "joy" in Forest's dressing room following their first win since the start of November, telling Amazon Prime: "Very good and well deserved.
"I think the boys worked very hard. They fight, they play football. I'm very happy for them.
"The joy that we have now in the dressing room after the disappointment of our last game was amazing, so let's enjoy it."
Wood's first goal came in first-half stoppage time and Nuno said: "It changes everything - the mood in the dressing room, the belief going into the second half, so very good.
"Thanks to the fans, they were brilliant. The boys felt their energy.
"It's hard work, it's tough. We have the talent. It's about now keep on going, we cannot stop on this game now. We have to rest and go again, but I think slowly we will achieve our own identity and the way we want to play football."
Howe insisted Newcastle were not "far away" from producing the performance necessary to beat Forest, telling Amazon Prime: "Regardless of our opponent, first and foremost we have to get our performance right. I don't think we were far away but the result tells a different story.
"Now we get a chance to train properly for the first time in months so let's hope that makes a difference to how we look."
Newcastle's decline since finishing fourth last season and reaching the Carabao Cup final has been stark and Howe said: "There's a whole combination of different things that are hurting us at the moment.
"But we've got a strong group and we'll have to be strong in these moments because it's not easy. We'll look to bounce back."
The Nuno Espirito Santo era at Nottingham Forest has lift off - and in some style too.
The stunning 3-1 win at Newcastle was a fully deserved victory built on incisive counter-attacking and a masterclass in the transition.
Nuno used the pace and skill of Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi to terrorise a frail Newcastle backline, with striker Chris Wood providing a perfect focal point to be the beneficiary of their fine attacking work as he scored a clinical and composed hat-trick.
Such was Forest's attacking verve under Nuno, they had six shots on target - the most they have had in an away Premier League match since records began (2003/04).
The Portuguese is having the early positive impact Forest desired, with star man Gibbs-White looking particularly revitalised under him.
Positioned in the No 10 role, the 23-year-old - who played under Nuno at Wolves - was sensational as he ran the game. He created the most chances (4) and won the most duels (12) of any player, and had the most touches (61), most crosses (4) and most passes in the final third (17) of any Forest player.
Nuno will now want these match-winning performances consistently from Gibbs-White as he begins to stamp his authority and ideas on this Forest team.
The travelling fans, who had been so loyal to Nuno's predecessor Steve Cooper, are also quickly being won over as they chanted the 49-year-old's name during the Newcastle win.
Nuno's arrival has certainly brought some much-needed Christmas cheer to Forest and he will now want to use this impressive win to keep the club looking forward rather than over their shoulders.
Declan Olley
Newcastle's next game is at Liverpool on New Year's Day, live on Monday Night Football; kick-off 8pm.
The Magpies then travel to rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup third round on Saturday January 6; kick-off 12.45pm.
Nottingham Forest are next in action on Saturday when they host Manchester United, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 5.30pm.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side then welcome Blackpool to the City Ground in the FA Cup third round on Sunday January 7; kick-off 2pm.
