There was a moment early in the second half when Morgan Gibbs-White, asked to move left from his favoured No 10 position as Nottingham Forest reshaped at half-time in a bid to get back into a game Burnley were winning, mistimed his swivelled shot 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 had given them in first-half stoppage time.
Forest’s team captain is made of sterner stuff, however. He has not enjoyed his best season, after last year’s high points with the club catapulted him into the England squad, but the next time chances fell his way, as he came in from the left, he dispatched both clinically and stylishly: one from James Ward-Prowse’s inadvertent back header, the second from Omari Hutchinson’s right-wing cross.
And when he handed the armband over to the 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 also scored the goal on Thursday, against Porto, to seal Forest’s place in the Europa League semi-final. No Englishman has scored more than his 12 Premier League goals this season.
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 complete, their afternoon made and their status well on the way to being secured. As Burnley moved to within one more disappointment of relegation – which would be all-but 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.
Vítor Pereira said Gibbs-White had been out of sorts in the first half but the tactical tweaks helped. “Today was, of course, it’s about the players, about the team, about the supporters, but I think me and my staff, we helped them to find the GPS to find the ways to go home,” the head coach said.
“Of course he’s a fantastic player for us, and I’m not only speaking technically and tactically, but about character.”
England have a plethora of talented No 10s but this was timely reminder to Thomas Tuchel that Gibbs-White, with eight goals in his last 13 games all told, should be considered for the World Cup squad. “He deserves it,” Pereira said, “because he has the quality. He has the qualities of a leader. When things are not happening in the way that we want, when the team is not finding the pace, he is a player … that wants the ball, wants the responsibility. He wants to score goals to assist. When I ask him to play on the pocket when we are attacking, but you must defend in the side … it’s not a problem for him because he understands the game, because he has the spirit.”
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. Anderson placed flowers and his No 8 shirt inscribed with the word “Mum” in the centre circle, before a minute’s applause rang around the ground. It was brave of Anderson to play in such circumstances. “It was not easy for him,” Pereira said. “I can’t imagine what he’s feeling inside. But he gave everything for the team today. He’s another example of a top player with a strong character.”
Gibbs-White added: “He is massive for us, and his decision to come back in is down to him – and it came out today as the right decision. It is a horrible moment [for him] right now.”
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. In the second minute of added time, Marcus Edwards collected Nikola Milenkovic’s misguided headed clearance, fed Jaidon Anthony and, on the overlap, Quilindschy Hartman – it was as if the game was taking place in slow motion – crossed for Flemming to score. But Forest found their fire in Gibbs-White.
