Nottingham Forest cruise past Sunderland

Morgan Gibbs-White inspired Nottingham Forest to a commanding 5-0 win away here at Sunderland, further strengthening their position above the Premier League relegation zone.

The 26-year-old scored a hat-trick in last weekend’s 4-1 victory over Burnley and also was central to Forest’s attacking brilliance as they produced a first-half demolition at the Stadium of Light.

The result leaves the Europa League semi-finalists eight points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham, with just five matches remaining.

Sunderland’s defensive frailties were ruthlessly exposed in a disastrous opening period.

Trai Hume’s unfortunate own goal opened the floodgates, before Forest struck four more times in a devastating spell of dominance.

Chris Wood, Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus all found the net within six minutes, while Elliot Anderson added a fifth in stoppage time to complete the rout.

The hosts had begun brightly, with Chris Rigg missing a clear early chance, but their errors soon proved costly.

Robin Roefs made several saves but was left helpless for Forest’s opener, which came via a deflected header off Hume following a set-piece routine.

Forest doubled their advantage when Wood capitalised on a loose clearance, before Gibbs-White thumped home a first-time effort to extend the lead.

Jesus then added a fourth after reacting quickest to a rebound inside the penalty area.

After the break, Sunderland briefly threatened a response when Dan Ballard had a goal ruled out following a VAR review for a foul in the build-up.

Despite a few half-chances, Forest remained in control, with Matz Sels producing a fine late save to deny Enzo Le Fee.

Anderson’s late strike sealed Sunderland’s heaviest defeat since returning to the top flight, while Forest extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight matches.