Former Newcastle striker Chris Wood reacts after scoring in Forest’s win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light

Chris Wood admitted it was a “good one” to score at the Stadium of Light after helping Nottingham Forest to a dominant win over Sunderland, with the former Newcastle United striker acknowledging the added edge to the fixture.

Wood was on the scoresheet on Wearside as Forest produced a clinical display, and he also pointed to Elliott Anderson’s goal as a particularly notable moment given his Tyneside roots. “Most definitely, it’s a good one for both of us,” Wood said. “But it’s even more beautiful for him, being a Geordie born and bred, it’s fantastic to see.”

Despite the result, Wood rejected any suggestion that Sunderland were easy to play against, highlighting the challenges posed by Régis Le Bris’ side. “No, I wouldn’t say it was easy to get at them,” he said. “They like to play out from the back, they like to take chances in a certain way, and they’re very good at it.

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“We’ve seen against other teams that they beat the press and counter really well, get up the pitch and score a lot of goals. We were just able to disrupt them at certain times, certain moments and took our chances really well. That’s what turned the game.”

Forest’s high-intensity approach proved decisive, with Wood explaining how their front-foot style helped swing momentum. “We want to be front foot, we want to try and be assertive and aggressive, and that was certainly an opportunity here,” he said. “It breeds confidence once you score that first goal and you keep moving forward.”

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