Nottingham Forest produced one of their most commanding performances of the season on 24 April 2026, hammering Sunderland 5-0 at the Stadium of Light to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to nine matches and move firmly away from the Premier League relegation zone.
Victor Pereira’s side arrived in the north-east having gone eight games without defeat, and they wasted little time asserting their dominance. The opening goal arrived early, courtesy of a Trai Hume own goal, before Forest added three more in the first half through Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Igor Jesus to effectively end the contest before the interval.
The second period was a controlled display from the visitors, who denied Sunderland any meaningful route back into the game. When Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi was introduced from the bench — despite having scored against Tottenham in his most recent appearance — the attack retained its sharpness. Awoniyi held up the ball effectively to set Elliot Anderson in behind, with the midfielder stroking a composed finish into the bottom corner to complete the rout and seal a fifth goal.
Nigeria international Ola Aina featured from the start at right-back for Forest, while Awoniyi’s impact from the substitutes’ bench underlined the depth available to Pereira’s squad. For Sunderland, Trai Hume and Dan Ballard were named in the starting eleven in place of Luke O’Nien and Reinildo Mandava, both of whom dropped to the bench.
The result moves Nottingham Forest into 16th place in the Premier League table and opens up an eight-point gap between the club and Tottenham Hotspur, who occupy the position immediately below the safety threshold. That cushion represents a significant shift in Forest’s season, having spent considerable portions of the campaign in precarious mid-table danger.
Forest’s nine-game unbeaten run is among the more remarkable sequences in the division at this stage of the campaign. The victory also continues a positive trajectory for Pereira, whose side have transformed their form in the second half of the season to give themselves a genuine platform for survival and potentially a stronger top-half finish.
Awoniyi, who had previously been in contention for a starting role following his goal against Tottenham, demonstrated his value as an impact substitute with a performance that drew praise. His ability to hold up play and bring teammates into the game proved decisive in the closing stages, even with the result already beyond doubt.
Sunderland, newly promoted and working to establish themselves at the top level, will need to regroup quickly as they look to avoid the bottom three. The margin of defeat at home will be a concern for their management ahead of the final weeks of the season.
