Gibbs-White hat-trick sinks Burnley and moves Forest closer towards safety
There was a moment early in the second half when Morgan Gibbs-White, asked to move left from his favoured No10 position as Nottingham Forest reshaped in a bid to get back into a game Burnley were winning, mistimed his swivel so badly, with a clear sight of goal, that the ball looped harmlessly behind, like a balloon at a child’s party.“You’re going down with the Burnley,” sang the travelling fans gleefully in the Bridgford Stand, as they treasured the rare lead Zian Flemming’s first-half added-time goal had given them.Forest’s team captain is made of sterner stuff, however. He has not enjoyed his best season, after last year’s high points with club and England recognition, but the next time chances came his way, as he came in from the left, he dispatched them clinically and stylishly. And when he handed the armband over to substitute Ryan Yates, the club captain returned the favour, crossing superbly for Gibbs-White to head in and complete his 15-minute hat-trick. It was a first treble in senior football for the man who scored the goal on Thursday, against Porto, to seal Forest’s place in the Europa League semi-final.When Igor Jesus ran through on to Nicolás Domínguez’s pass in the ninth minute of stoppage time to slide his shot beyond Martin Dubravka, Forest’s recovery was completed, their afternoon made. As Burnley move to within one more disappointment of relegation – which would be confirmed should West Ham beat Crystal Palace on Monday night – Forest moved five points clear of the Premier League’s bottom three. “You’re going down with the Tottenham,” their fans sang back at their Burnley counterparts.If Gibbs-White was the undoubted man of the match, and the hero of the quarter of an hour, then Elliot Anderson will also remember this afternoon poignantly.Before the game, there were touches of class from the club to mark the loss of the England midfielder’s mother, Helen, before the match. Anderson, who missed Thursday’s Europa League game here after her passing, laid flowers and his No8 shirt inscribed with the word ‘mum’ in the centre circle, before a minute’s applause rang around the ground. Vítor Pereira shared his condolences in his programme notes, offering the player his “full support … because family comes first in life”. It was brave of Anderson to play in such circumstances.The first half was played out in beautiful spring sunshine but the football was lukewarm. Forest, perhaps still feeling the effects of Thursday’s game, struggled to play with the intensity Pereria had ordered. There were no more than half chances for Chris Wood, starting despite having to go off early on against Porto with a knee injury, who had to stretch to reach Neco Williams’s cross and head wide.Forest, defeated only once in nine games in all competitions, seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Murillo, clearly less than 100% fit, felt the effects of a tussle with Flemming when the Burnley striker got in blindside to come close to scoring, and Forest had to bring Jair Cunha on in his place.Burnley, their relegation to the Championship all but certain, were satisfied to play in a low block and without too much risk. Then, in the second minute of added time, they were allowed to build their best move of the match. Marcus Edwards collected Nikola Milenkovic’s misguided headed clearance, ran at the retreating Forest defence before playing the ball out to Jaidon Anthony. On the overlap, Quilindschy Hartman was allowed the time to pull his cross back – it was as if the game was taking place in slow motion – and Flemming had the space to side-foot home from six yards.Forest needed an injection of something at half-time. With Callum Hudson-Odoi out injured, Pereira opted for the pace of Jesus, who came on to play just off Wood. This meant shifting Gibbs-White out to the left-hand side, never his favourite position.When the captain swivelled to shoot but got his timing all wrong, after he was inadvertently played in by Jesus’s deflected shot, the visiting fans broke out into a self-mocking chant. It felt as if Forest had been out of sync all afternoon at this stage.Yet it was coming in from wide that Gibbs-White turned the game around with two goals from this berth.The equaliser arrived midway through the second half. This time Milenkovic won his header, beating Flemming to a half-cleared ball just outside the area, and James Ward-Prowse could not reach high enough to clear, instead nicking it back beyond his own teammates for the Forest captain to take a measured touch, this time, and slot into the far bottom corner for his tenth Premier League goal of the season.Then, after Matz Sels had to save adroitly down at his near post as Lyle Foster volleyed Anthony’s cross goalwards, Forest took control. Omari Hutchinson jinked past his man and got to the byline whence he crossed to the back post. Gibbs-White timed his swivel perfectly this time, volleying in right-footed.Pereira’s magic touch with substitutions continued as Gibbs-White completed his first senior hat-trick. Ola Aina shuffled the ball up the right touchline for Yates, on for Wood as Forest looked to stiffen up their midfield, and the club captain sent over a great cross from the byline for Gibbs to time his jump perfectly and head on into the far corner.
