Albion concede seven against Nottingham Forest

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Ex-Seagull Chris Wood fires hat-trick as Albion suffer their biggest Premier League defeat.

Bruce Talbot

2025-02-01T14:30+00:00

Danny Welbeck goes past Murillo. 📷 James Boardman.

Albion suffered their heaviest Premier League defeat on an afternoon to forget at the City Ground.

Former Seagull Chris Wood led the way with a hat-trick as a rampant home team bounced back impressively after conceding five at Bournemouth last week.

It was back in 2011 that Wood, then at the start of his career, scored nine goals in a loan spell for Albion and the predatory instincts he showed back then seem as sharp as ever.

Wood made it 17 goals for the season and two stoppage-time goals added to Albion’s misery.

Forest had raced into a 3-0 lead at the break thanks to Lewis Dunk’s own goal, Morgan Gibbs-White and Wood’s unmarked header. Fabian Hurzeler made three changes at the break, but Albion looked vulnerable all afternoon and conceded four more.

Wood tucked in a cross by Anthony Elanga to make it 4-0 before completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot. Nico Williams and substitute Jota Silva added to Albion’s pain with late goals.

Tariq Lamptey tussles with Morgan Gibbs-White. 📷 James Boardman.

Danny Welbeck’s shot was turned onto the underside of the bar and Albion had some bright moments in attack, but it was an afternoon to forget.

The absence of Carlose Baleba and Yasin Ayari meant a rejigged central midfield with Jack Hinshelwood starting his first game since the win over Manchester City and Georginio Rutter since the draw at West Ham in December. Central midfielder Joe Knight, 19, was on the bench for the first time.

Albion lined up in a fluid 4-1-4-1 formation and for the first ten minutes or so were on top – but then it started to unravel.

Yankuba Minteh is denied by Forest keeper Matz Sels. 📷 James Boardman.

In the 12th minute Albion gave the ball away and Danilo lofted a perfect pass behind Tariq Lamptey for Gibbs-White and in trying to clear his cross, the ball went past Bart Verbruggen off Dunk’s outstretched leg.

Anthony Elanga wasn’t far away from finding the bottom corner after cutting in from the left and letting fly and although Hinshelwood had a shot blocked at the other end after good work by Rutter the momentum was very much with Forest.

They doubled their lead in the 24th minute. Yankuba Minteh needed to make a perfectly-timed tackle when Wood lined up a shot, but from the corner Gibbs-White rose unmarked at the near post to head Elanga’s inswinging delivery past a helpless Verbruggen.

Joao Pedro brings the ball forward. 📷 James Boardman.

After Wood’s 25-yard strike was tipped over by Verbruggen at full stretch the Forest striker punished one of his former clubs when he found space in the box to head Elanga’s cross into the net. With just over a third of the game gone Albion were 3-0 down and facing damage limitation.

Albion rallied and Joao teed up Welbeck for a right-foot shot which Mats Selz somehow turned onto the underside of the bar. The Forest keeper had earlier denied Minteh but the home side were in complete control at the break.

Danny Welbeck went close with this first-half header. 📷 James Boardman.

Hurzeler made a triple change at the interval, bringing on Diego Gomez, Simon Adingra and Matt O’Riley. It brought a bit more control into midfield and Albion probed for a way back. Minteh nearly surprised Sels at the near post after a mazy run but Williams blocked and in the 64th minute Forest had a fourth.

Elanga scorched down the left and into the box and his low cross was tucked home by Wood. Four minutes later he had his hat-trick, driving a penalty down the middle after referee Hooper spotted Lamptey wrestling Gibbs-White to the ground.

Albion's suffering wasn't over. Nico Williams lashed in a close-range strike in the 90th minute and in stoppage time Verbruggen's pass out went straight to Jota Silva who fired low and powerfully into the far corner.

Albion: Verbruggen, Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Lamptey, Minteh, Hinshelwood (O’Riley 46), Rutter, Mitoma (Adingra 46), Joao Pedro (Gomez 46), Welbeck (Ferguson 72).