<p>The Reds have been in good form of late, and are unbeaten in their last five games. They’ve also secured a Europa League semi-final clash against Aston Villa.</p>
<p>Nottingham Forest came into the game five points above the relegation zone, but have extended that gap to eight, although West Ham and Tottenham still have to play this weekend.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full”><img decoding=”async” width=”4781″ height=”3834″ src=”https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/thumbor/2uhlMh2s09rDKn_6B_Hm_ZaJAO0=/4781×3834/smart/filters:format(webp)/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.afrik-foot.com%2Fen-ng%2F2026%2F04%2Fimago1076547784.jpg” alt=”Granit Xhaka of Sunderland in action with Ola Aina” class=”wp-image-913087″/><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Granit Xhaka of Sunderland in action with Ola Aina. Copyright: Imago</figcaption></figure>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading”>Nottingham Forest vs Sunderland: How the game unfolded</h2>
<p>The first half at the Stadium of Light stunned the home fans as Vitor Pereira’s men ran riot, putting four goals past Robin Roefs.</p>
<p>Sunderland started the game on the front foot, before a deep cross from Omari Hutchinson was headed in by Igor Jesus at the far post, although the ball deflected off Trai Hume.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full”><img decoding=”async” width=”3583″ height=”2392″ src=”https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/thumbor/Pz4HY0dbk833JCmqRiI00-E_KVE=/3583×2392/smart/filters:format(webp)/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.afrik-foot.com%2Fen-ng%2F2026%2F04%2Fimago10765515421.jpg” alt=”Igor Jesus of Nottingham Forest scores to make it 0-1 vs Sunderland” class=”wp-image-913097″/><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Igor Jesus of Nottingham Forest scores to make it 0-1 vs Sunderland. Copyright: Imago</figcaption></figure>
<p>The game opened up following the first goal, and chances began pouring in for Forest, as Chris Wood grabbed the second goal.</p>
<p>Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White didn’t complicate things. After Wood intercepted a poor pass from Roefs, the ball fell to the Englishman.</p>
<p>Gibbs-White simply tapped the ball back to Wood, and the Kiwi striker put the ball into the back of the net.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full”><img decoding=”async” width=”3500″ height=”2423″ src=”https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/thumbor/t0Ei-p7ZONq4B367So1nJ8CzN0U=/3500×2423/smart/filters:format(webp)/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.afrik-foot.com%2Fen-ng%2F2026%2F04%2Fimago1076547334.jpg” alt=”Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring” class=”wp-image-913098″/><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring. Copyright: Imago</figcaption></figure>
<p>Three minutes later Gibbs-White grabbed his own share of the spoils, after Williams picked out Igor Jesus at the far post with a cross.</p>
<p>The Brazilian striker headed the ball back to the Englishman, who tapped home to take his goal tally to 13 in the Premier League this season.</p>
<p>After three minutes, Igor Jesus finally put his name in the spotlight, after Ola Aina’s shot was blocked.</p>
<p>The ball ricocheted into Jesus’ path, and the Brazilian powered a volley into the net for his fifth goal in the Premier League this season.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full”><img decoding=”async” width=”4200″ height=”2800″ src=”https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/thumbor/1c-jAYlCV7nQiub4BLjMWT3HSiY=/4200×2800/smart/filters:format(webp)/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.afrik-foot.com%2Fen-ng%2F2026%2F04%2Fimago1074837481-1.jpg” alt=”Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest celebrates victory vs Tottenham Hotspur” class=”wp-image-911405″/><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest celebrates victory vs Tottenham Hotspur. Copyright: ImagoxMIxNewsx</figcaption></figure>
<p>Taiwo Awoniyi came off the bench in the 87th minute and was instrumental to Forest’s fifth goal.</p>
<p>The Nigerian combined with Netz in Forest’s box, and his cut-back fell to Elliot Anderson, who put the ball into the back of the net, and his teammates rallied around him as the celebrations ran riot, given that he lost his mother <a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DXOoZWwjYgb/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>seven days ago</a>.</p>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>What a performance. 🤩 <a href=”https://t.co/RU2Zs8UNZH”>pic.twitter.com/RU2Zs8UNZH</a></p>— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) <a href=”https://twitter.com/NFFC/status/2047781767218598256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>April 24, 2026</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p>Forest’s focus is fully on their Europa League clash against Aston Villa next Thursday, but they can have more good news should Tottenham Hotspur drop points tomorrow.</p>
