Gibbs-White hat-trick sinks Burnley and moves Forest closer towards safety

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.

Zian Flemming puts Burnley 1-0 up in added time in the first half. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

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.