Nottingham Forest 7-0 Brighton: Ruthless hosts deliver perfect response

How do you respond to your heaviest defeat of the season? By claiming your biggest top-flight victory in nearly 34 years.

That's just what high-flying Nottingham Forest did against Brighton on Saturday, romping to a 7-0 victory to deliver the ideal reaction to last weekend's 5-0 reverse at Bournemouth.

Nuno Espirito Santo's switch to a back three, designed to give his attacking players more freedom, proved a masterstroke as his players treated the home supporters at the City Ground to a ruthless attacking display, in which Chris Wood and Anthony Elanga played integral roles.

Wood, who had scored nine league goals against Brighton before Saturday, lifted his 2024-25 league tally to 17 with a well-taken treble. Only Stan Collymore (22 in 1994-95) has scored more for Forest in a single season in the competition.

After setting up Morgan Gibbs-White's header and Wood's first of the afternoon before the break, Elanga completed a hat-trick of assists in the second half when he teed up Wood following a mazy run.

The home side were given a helping hand by Brighton on a number of occasions as Lewis Dunk put through his own net for the opener, Tariq Lamptey conceded a penalty for a clumsy foul on Gibbs-White and goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen passed straight to Jota Silva for Forest's seventh.

But there was no taking the shine off a ruthless Forest performance as Nuno's team registered their biggest league win since thrashing Chelsea 7-0 in the top-flight in April 1991.