Uncover the excitement of Nottingham Forest’s historic 7-0 triumph over Brighton, driven by Chris Wood’s exceptional hat-trick performance in this unforgettable match.
Introduction:
Nottingham Forest produced a breathtaking performance at the City Ground, securing their most dominant Premier League victory ever with a 7-0 thrashing of Brighton & Hove Albion. Chris Wood stole the show with a hat-trick, while Anthony Elanga played a pivotal role, delivering three assists. The emphatic win was a perfect response to Forest’s heavy 5-0 defeat at AFC Bournemouth in the previous fixture, reaffirming their strength in the league.
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A Ruthless Display: How Forest Overpowered Brighton
Forest didn’t lose a single moment to influence the game, scoring with their first attack within 12 minutes. Morgan Gibbs-White’s perfectly chipped cross from the right was turned into his own net by Lewis Dunk under pressure. From that beginning, Brighton’s defense remained under siege throughout the rest of the match.

The hosts doubled their lead in the 25th minute as Gibbs-White, who was instrumental throughout, nodded home Elanga’s perfectly delivered corner. Nottingham Forest’s aggressive and high-energy approach overwhelmed Brighton, and just minutes later, Neco Williams struck the base of the post with a powerful long-range effort. However, there was no respite for the visitors as Elanga once again turned provider, delivering a pinpoint cross for Wood to head home. A VAR check quickly confirmed the goal, putting it at 3-0.
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Brighton did get a brief response in the run up to half time when Danny Welbeck nearly pulled one back, his powerful effort tipped onto the crossbar by Matz Sels and this ball ended inches short of the goal line. Brighton still managed to enter half time trailing three goals and they were left unable to do much about the score line from then on.

Chris Wood’s Masterclass: A Hat-Trick to Remember
Brighton tried to launch a comeback after the break, pushing forward with more intent. However, their hopes were dashed when Wood netted his second goal of the evening in the 64th minute. A simple tap-in following a well-worked move ensured that Forest continued their dominance.
Five minutes later, Wood stepped up to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Tariq Lamptey fouled Gibbs-White in the area. The experienced forward showed great composure, sending goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen the wrong way to put Forest 5-0 up. The City Ground erupted in celebration as Wood’s clinical performance cemented his reputation as one of the league’s most effective strikers this season.

Late Goals Add Further Gloss to a Historic Win
Nuno Espírito Santo used the game’s final stages to give some of his key players a rest. But the visitors’ attack didn’t let up. In injury time, Williams hammered home a sixth goal from close range before Jota Silva capitalized on a dreadful pass from Verbruggen to make it 7-0.
Forest’s sheer ruthlessness ensured they took a monumental victory, taking their points tally to 47, level with second-placed Arsenal. With just two points separating them from league leaders Manchester City, the win further solidified their top-four ambitions. Brighton, on the other hand, remained ninth, six points adrift of the European qualification spots.

Morgan Gibbs-White: The Playmaker
Gibbs-White was the epicentre of Forest’s attacking game. He was responsible for the own goal that broke the deadlock in the game, and later, he scored an excellent header that doubled their lead. His dynamic movement and creative play made the Brighton defenders uneasy throughout the match.
Anthony Elanga: The Assist King
Former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga gave a lesson on how wing play should be done, assisting three times with accurate and understanding deliveries. Of course, that makes it eight assists for the season and an understandable upsurge at the club.
Chris Wood: The Finisher
Wood’s hat-trick owed much to his clinical finishing and intelligent positioning. In total, he has netted 17 league goals this season, putting him in view of Stan Collymore’s record of 22, which was set for the Forest side in the 1994/95 Premier League season.
Neco Williams & Jota Silva: The Late Contributors
In both cases, their late contributions went on to show Brighton’s defensive frailties, also displaying Forest’s depth and attack propensity.

Brighton’s Defense Woes and Missed Opportunities
Brighton’s European ambitions have been derailed by inconsistency, but their defensive weaknesses were cruelly exposed at the City Ground. They couldn’t cope with Forest’s flowing attack, which has now left them conceding 38 league goals this term – the highest among all clubs that are sitting within the top half of the table.
Brighton managed to create their chances but made nothing out of them. Yankuba Minteh should have equalized early with a shot at Sels. Later, Welbeck’s near-miss summed up Brighton’s night so close yet so far.
Brighton has to, come next match against Chelsea, deal with the defensive issues if they are not going to drop off the qualification for Europe.

Nottingham Forest’s Momentum Continues
Nottingham Forest is one of the most in-form teams in the Premier League, with eight wins in their last ten league games. Their next challenge will be an away fixture against Fulham at Craven Cottage. If they maintain their current form, a top-four finish is well within their grasp.
Brighton’s Uphill Battle
Brighton, on the other hand, awaits a tricky match at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea. Hurzeler has to recreate his defense and instill confidence back in his team.
Conclusion
The historic 7-0 win of Brighton at the hands of Nottingham Forest was more than a message. What could be seen in a hat-trick by Chris Wood along with the playmaking skills of Anthony Elanga was a side full of attacking play and a likely competitor in the current season. Brighton struggled to contain the intensity as this will go down in history as one of the most dominating displays in the Premier League. With time, the two teams will seek to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses as they go about the pursuit of their objectives.