Ruthless Nottingham Forest crush Sunderland to boost survival hopes

Forest blew Sunderland away at the Stadium of Light, scoring four goals before half-time to move eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Pereira praised his players' intensity and preparation. He said: "Five goals, a clean sheet, I'm very happy. The players, the supporters, the staff - we deserve it because we played a fantastic first half. We decided to press because we are fighting for our lives, and we did it very well."

Forest took control after 17 minutes when Igor Jesus forced an own goal from Trai Hume. The visitors doubled their lead on 31 minutes as Chris Wood punished a mistake before finishing calmly after combining with Morgan Gibbs-White.

Just minutes later, Gibbs-White added a third, continuing his strong run of form, before Jesus struck again to make it four before the break.

Pereira reserved special praise for his key players. On Wood, he said: "A fantastic striker. He knows everything about the game - how to score, assist and press. He helped the team a lot." On Gibbs-White, he added: "He had a fantastic game."

He also highlighted Elliot Anderson, who capped the performance with a late fifth goal. "He is a fighter, a winner. He proved again he deserves everything," Pereira said.

Sunderland thought they had a goal back through Dan Ballard, but it was ruled out after a VAR review, ending any hopes of a comeback.

Despite the emphatic result, Pereira remained cautious: "It isn't enough. We need more points, more wins, and we must keep our mentality."

Forest's dominant display extended their unbeaten run and boosted belief, but their manager made it clear - the job is not done yet.