Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood started Boxing Day in the English Premier League with a furious hat-trick.
Thanks to the New Zealander’s goals (45th + 1, 53rd and 60th), the relegation candidate celebrated their first win under new team manager Nuno Espirito Santo in a 3-1 (1-1) win at Newcastle United. At the same time, it was the first success after seven league games without a win.
Wood turned the game around after former Dortmund player Alexander Isak (23’/foul penalty) had given the hosts the lead. Espirito Santo, former coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, took over Nottingham the previous week after his predecessor Steve Cooper was sacked.
On his debut last Saturday, the Portuguese suffered a 2-3 defeat against AFC Bournemouth.
Newcastle currently has four defeats from its last five league games and is in danger of losing sight of the Champions League places.