Chris Woods registered a hat-trick in Nottingham Forest’s surprising comeback win against Newcastle at St James’ Park on Boxing Day.
The win ended Forest’s run of seven games without a win.
Alexander Isak put the hosts in front with a coolly slotted penalty and just before halftime, Woods leveled the game for the visitors from close range.
In the second half, Wood scored twice in the space of seven second-half minutes to put Forest out of sight. He latched onto Elanga’s pass and got beyond two defenders before lifting a neat finish over Dubravka.
Seven minutes later, Woods beat the offside trap, moved past Dubravka, and sent the ball in the back of the net.
Morgan Gibbs-White had the best chance of the opening exchanges despite a dominant start from Newcastle.
Newcastle enjoyed plenty of possession but once again their attack struggled to gel. Only Isak looked dangerous when he got hold of the ball around the Forest box.
“It is nice coming back to Newcastle, I really enjoyed my time here, it is a great bunch of lads and staff,” he told the BBC.
“We needed three points and it was fantastic for the side to get it. This is a tough place to come, the boys did extremely well.”
