Nottingham Forest rout Sunderland 5-0 to boost Premier League survival
Nottingham Forest moved a step closer to Premier League survival after Vitor Pereira’s side delivered a stunning 5-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The East Midlands outfit extended their unbeaten league run to six matches with a devastating first-half display.
Four goals before the break blew the Black Cats away, establishing an eight-point cushion over the relegation zone.
Forest manager Pereira had challenged his players to produce elite-level performances during the crucial run-in.
“I asked my team to play at the level of Champions League because the Premier League is our Champions League.”
First-half blitz stuns Stadium of Light
The visitors opened the scoring in fortuitous circumstances when an Igor Jesus header deflected in off unwitting defender Trai Hume.
However, there was nothing lucky about the ensuing six-minute spell that completely dismantled the home defence.
Chris Wood capitalised on a glaring error by goalkeeper Robin Roefs to double the advantage.
Superb strikes from Morgan Gibbs-White and a second for Jesus quickly followed, leaving the Wearsiders in tatters long before the interval.
Midfielder Elliot Anderson then compounded the misery for Regis Le Bris’ side with a late fifth goal in the closing stages.
Safety not yet secured
Despite pulling away from the bottom three, the Portuguese head coach refuses to declare their survival mission accomplished.
With four matches remaining in the campaign, Pereira insists his squad cannot afford to lose focus.
“In my opinion, it isn’t enough, it isn’t enough, it isn’t enough. We need more points and we need to keep our mentality. We cannot relax.”
The commanding victory places immense pressure on relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United ahead of their weekend fixtures.
Rather than monitoring those crucial matches, the Forest boss plans to spend his two days off relaxing away from football.
“For sure, I will not watch the games because I suffer with my games, that’s enough. Maybe I will be at home, maybe drinking a pint, but not watching the games.”
‘Like a punch in the face’
The heavy defeat leaves Sunderland reflecting on a disastrous evening in front of their own supporters.
The hosts sat 10 points ahead of their opponents before kick-off but were comprehensively outplayed in every department.
Black Cats manager Le Bris admitted the performance fell alarmingly short of expectations.
“It hurts, it’s painful because it’s not the face we want to show, so for the players, I think it was like a punch in their face, and for me as well.”
The French tactician praised the home faithful, conceding that the fans were significantly better than his team on the night.
