Nottingham Forest 5-1 Swansea City: Sam Surridge hat-trick downs Swans

Sam Surridge joined Nottingham Forest from Stoke in January

Sam Surridge's first career hat-trick helped Nottingham Forest keep up the pressure on Bournemouth as they thumped Swansea 5-1 at a raucous City Ground.

Forest remain third in the Championship, three points behind the Cherries, who they play on Tuesday.

They went ahead when Cyrus Christie scored an own goal, but Michael Obafemi levelled for Swansea before the break.

Surridge then scored a 21-minute hat-trick for Forest and Alex Mighten wriggled clear to add a fifth.

Bournemouth's 3-0 win at Blackburn kept their three-point cushion over Forest, who visit Vitality Stadium on Tuesday. Forest's goal difference is now one better than that of the Cherries.

Forest were looking to build on their superb 1-0 midweek win at champions elect Fulham, with their fans no doubt wishing boss Steve Cooper had been in charge since the start of the campaign.

Since the Welshman took charge in September, Forest who have won more points - 75 - than any other Championship team over the same period.

Forest almost found the early goal they sought on four minutes, but ex-Swans striker Surridge saw his effort partially blocked by goalkeeper Andy Fisher, with defender Ryan Manning blocking on the line from Philip Zinckernagel's follow-up effort.

Surridge, who made 23 appearances for Swansea in the 2019-20 campaign, was looking lively and he raced clear on 11 minutes, but he could not get his angles right as he looked to lob Fisher, who saved comfortably.

Nottingham Forest secured a first league double over Swansea City since the 2009-10 season

The contest swung in Forest's favour on 22 minutes when Jack Colback took advantage of some lax Swansea defending and looked to have put the hosts ahead, only for Christie to attempt to scoop the ball from goal with his hands as he failed to clear.

Referee Graham Scott initially awarded a penalty and a red card for Christie. But technology showed the ball had crossed the line, so an own goal and a yellow card were all Christie ultimately had to show for his goalkeeping effort.

Forest's lead lasted only six minutes, as Obafemi finished brilliantly after controlling Matt Grimes' clever cross, though there was almost an instant riposte as Fisher brilliantly denied Joe Worrall's header from James Garner's corner.

Fisher was in fine form and made two key saves on 43 minutes to deny Surridge by tipping his header - from another Garner corner - on to the post, before stopping Ryan Yates' close-range rebound.

Surridge fired wide in first-half stoppage time - he might have had a hat-trick in the first half - as the hosts were left to wonder how they had not regained the lead.

However, any sense of frustration for Forest dissipated within three minutes of the restart as Surridge finally found the net as he headed home from another pinpoint Garner set-piece.

Swansea supporters sometimes questioned the style of football Cooper's side played during his two years as their manager, but the hosts continued to create chance after chance and Surridge curled home his second goal on 52 minutes following a rapid Forest counter-attack.

The win was secured on 69 minutes as Joel Latibeaudiere deflected a cross on to the crossbar and Surridge was on hand to hammer home the rebound.

The hosts added a fifth on 84 minutes as Mighten found far too much space and kept his composure to beat Fisher and set up Forest for their showdown with Bournemouth.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper told BBC Radio Wales:

"I thought we were excellent today, the game plan came off perfectly.

"We were very happy for Swansea to have the ball, we wanted to control the game without the ball, which we did brilliantly.

"5-1 is obviously a great result, but to be honest it could have been more, it should have been 5-1 at half-time.

"We know Swansea have a lot of the ball, but also knew they also concede a hell of a lot of chances and a hell of a lot of goals."

Swansea City boss Russell Martin told BBC Radio Wales:

"In the first half I thought we were really good, we had a couple of scares, but mainly from set-pieces.

"We don't have height and the power that Nottingham Forest have.

"It was the same story on Tuesday night (against Bournemouth) and it is something we need to address in the summer, for sure… it's a sign of what we're lacking.

"Today's been embarrassing, the second 45 minutes. The supporters didn't deserve that, and the players and staff didn't deserve that for the way they've worked."