Nottingham Forest 4-0 West Bromwich Albion: Steve Cooper's Reds win to delay Fulham promotion

Free-scoring Nottingham Forest have averaged almost three goals per game at home in the league in 2022

Nottingham Forest further consolidated their place in the Championship play-offs as they beat West Bromwich Albion to make leaders Fulham wait for confirmation of their promotion.

Steve Cooper's men had the game won before the break with three fortune-laced goals - Brennan Johnson's penalty, for a handball which also triggered a red card for Albion defender Darnell Furlong, Ryan Yates' header and an outrageous strike from Jack Colback.

Sam Surridge added a late fourth on a night when Albion's own slim promotion hopes surely came to an end.

With just three games left, 12th-placed Albion trail sixth-placed Sheffield United by six points - and have five other clubs better placed ahead of them in pursuit of what looks like one remaining play-off place.

Forest, who still have five games left, including a trip to second-placed Bournemouth in early May, are looking upwards, knowing that they still have a chance of automatic promotion despite their Friday slip-up at Luton.

Their eighth win in nine home league games since the turn of the year also means that Fulham cannot confirm their promotion to the Premier League until Tuesday, when victory over Ryan Lowe's Preston would take them back up.

David Webb's decision to award a first-half penalty and send off Albion defender Darnell Furlong for handball had a major say on the outcome

After an Easter weekend which began badly at Kenilworth Road, then worsened with reports that on-loan Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis might be ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, Forest could be forgiven for thinking their luck was right out.

At Luton they lost to a debatable penalty, had a perfectly legitimate second-half equaliser chalked off and hit the woodwork. But they more than made up for it as the ball began bouncing their way in a one-sided first half at a bouncing City Ground.

The game first hinged on Forest's opener from the penalty spot.

Furlong, booked just three minutes earlier for a daft, needless late challenge on Philip Zinckernagel, was lying prone on the ground when James Garner's shot hit his arm. But referee David Webb decided that it was deliberate handball, sent off Furlong and awarded Forest a penalty.

Johnson struck it powerfully low into the left corner, beating Baggies keeper David Button's despairing dive. And, just four minutes later, Forest had a second goal when the officials unquestionably made a mistake.

They awarded a throw-in the wrong way, and Albion's defence, caught badly wrongfooted, were panicked into conceding the corner from which Yates headed home - from Garner's right-wing flag-kick - to double the home lead.

Then came Colback's wonder strike on the stroke of half-time. The ball bounced up to the wing-back on the left side of the pitch and he launched a wicked, dipping volley over David Button from 25 yards.

With the game won and Albion's spirited 10 men left running on fumes, Forest could have won by more but they could manage just a very late fourth.

January deadline day signing Surridge ran onto a neat through ball to power his shot over Button for his fourth goal for the club - to match last month's 4-0 win over Reading as Forest's best of the season.

It was also Albion's heaviest league defeat of the season - and their worst at second-tier level since losing by the same scoreline at Leeds in March 2019.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper:

"To win a game 4-0, you have to do a lot of things well. We took real control. We forced them into a situation where they were down to 10 men. We forced the 1-0, the 2-0 and got the third.

"Jack Colback was excellent, man of the match. He is not a character who generally craves extra praise. He is a bit of a throwback on that front. I'm not going to argue with him if he said he meant it.

"It is one of the best goals we have seen at the City Ground this season, even if we have seen a few good ones. The fourth goal was good as well. I don't know how many passes there were involved.

"The thing that mattered most was our attitude and approach. We felt really hard done by on Friday when a lot of the decisions and things did not go our way."

West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Bruce told BBC Radio WM:

"It was an awful night that went against us. Is it a penalty? It's debatable. Is it a red card? That was ludicrous.

"Then we got that linesman's decision go against us, and the fourth official gets in the ref's ear. And, within 20 minutes, we've got a red card, a penalty and another decision and the game's over.

"Forest are the form team in the division and you can understand why. It was always going to be difficult for us.

"But, while you know you need to put in a performance, you also need the officials to do their job. I don't usually complain as I know they have a difficult enough task as it is but you need them to be better and, unfortunately, they were awful."