Chris Wood continued his fine form in front of goal after netting the opener against West Ham United during a 3-0 win which took Nottingham Forest into third for the first time since 1998.
The Forest forward headed home with the first shot on target for either side on the afternoon after latching onto Alex Moreno’s cross from the left (27).
Wood has now netted eight goals in his last eight appearances for club and country, as he continues to stake his claim as serious opposition to Manchester City forward Erling Haaland in the race for the golden boot.
After coming close to equalising through Lucas Paqueta and his effort that was cleared off the line, West Ham’s misery in the first half was compounded by a red card for Edson Alvarez.
The midfielder picked up two bookings in the space of three minutes to reduce his side to 10 players after leaving referee Peter Bankes with no choice by lunging in on Anthony Elanga.
Callum Hudson-Odoi celebrates after doubling Nottingham Forest’s lead against West Ham
Callum Hudson-Odoi had been heavily involved throughout the fixture and eventually got his name on the scoresheet after curling in a second for the hosts from outside the box (65).
Ola Aina went on to add a third and arguably the pick of the bunch as he capitalised on an error from Jean-Clair Todibo before lashing an effort into the top left corner to round-off an impressive victory for his high-flying side.
Nuno: Top four means nothing now
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo:
“I think all of us should be proud of the way we performed, we started the game well and controlled their threat while being positive going forward.
“The red card changed everything but the players understood not to be complacent. This is what football is about, fantastic moment for us and the fans.”
“Pushed for an answer on his hopes for the season after breaking into the top four, Nuno added: “You know me. It is 10 minutes after the game but I am thinking about the next training session.
“It doesn’t mean anything now. We have to keep going as it’s a ver long season ahead of us. Positive moment but we should keep going.”
Forest in the top four – why not?
Sky Sports‘ Patrick Rowe:
“It is all going right for Forest currently. Wood has transformed himself into one of the most lethal strikers in the top flight of English football and the team have ascended into the top three of the Premier League.
“The sky is the limit for this side. They have heaps of quality surrounding their in-form striker and showed that through Hudson-Odoi, Aina and the talent they called upon from the bench.
“You would be naive to think this was just a purple patch of form, we’ve seen that teams like Aston Villa can challenge top teams for Champions League football – so why can’t Forest be the latest to do this?
“They have all the necessary components at the ready and continue to churn out performances and results against solid opponents.
“The upcoming meetings against Newcastle and Arsenal will be crucial in determining what the ceiling for this team really is.”
Lopetegui: We have to become a better team
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui:
“Second half we had to change our plan and think about how we can face the game. If we did not suffer the second goal, we could have drawn the match. It was a tough night for us.
“We have to use this bad moment to push us up and forward. We have to compete better and be more consistent.
“This is my work. It is about consistency and we need that. We have to become a better team, for sure. We have a lot of good players and we can do better.
“There were moments we could have drawn the match. This is a moment we have to stick together and to recognise we can all do better defensively. We have to look forward for the next challenge.”
West Ham struggles continue
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
“It was a third formation change of the season from Julen Lopetegui, as he returned to the 3-4-3 he used during the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.
“In the early stages of the game, it looked as if the combination of Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos could keep the in-form Wood quiet after he was limited to just eight touches in the first 25-minutes.
“However, the Forest forward nodded in the opener moments later and it was not long before West Ham were reduced to 10 and the game spiralled out of their control.
“Lopetegui was quick to point out after the game that the result did not solely fall on the shoulders of Alvarez and instead looked at his team as a collective by insisting they must be better across all fronts. And he was right.
“West Ham started well but unravelled even before the red card. If they are to prevent this season from petering out into mid-table mediocrity – or something much worse – they have to improve across all areas.
“At the moment, they seem like a team lacking direction.”
