Match Report: Sunderland 0-5 Nottingham Forest

Five-star Forest’s perfect first half helped move them eight points above the relegation zone, as they demolished The Black Cats on Wearside.

Forest took the lead on 17 minutes through a Trai Hume own goal, and their lead was soon doubled by Chris Wood.

Jesus made it three just three minutes later, Gibbs-White’s volley added a fourth, and then a goal from Anderson finished off a perfect away day for The Reds.

Sunderland stayed in eleventh after the result – having missed a chance to move within touching distance of the European places.

Sunderland spent the opening fifteen minutes on top, and Rigg could’ve gave them the lead, but Jesus’ back post header from Omari Hutchinson’s cross – which went down as a Hume own goal – gave the away side the lead.

A poor pass from Roefs gifted Forest a second, as Gibbs-White’s pass found Wood who calmly doubled Forest’s lead.

A few minutes later, Gibbs-White’s volley flew through a sea of Sunderland defenders and into the bottom left corner, making it three for Forest.

Ola Aina’s shot around three minutes later was blocked, but the ball looped towards the back post where Jesus was waiting, and he volleyed it home past Roefs for Forest’s fourth goal inside the first 40 minutes.

The second half was much closer than the first, and Sunderland had the ball in the back of the net on 61 minutes, but VAR deemed Nordi Mukiele to have fouled Matz Sels and disallowed the goal.

After a flurry of yellow cards in the second half for Nottingham Forest, Vitor Pereira’s side added a fifth after five minutes of added time, as Elliot Anderson topped off a great performance with a composed finish from inside the box.