Chris Wood lauded Nottingham Forest's character after they responded from their thrashing at Bournemouth with a 7-0 rout of Brighton on Saturday. (More Football News)
Wood's hat-trick led Forest to their biggest league victory (in any division) since beating Chelsea 7-0 at the Cit🏅y Ground in the top-flight back in April 1991.
Lewis Dunk's own goal got Forest on their way before Morgan Gibbs-White brilliantly headed the ball beyon🃏d Bart Verbruggen from Anthony Elanga's corner.
Woo🔥d got himself on the scoresheet just before the break before adding two goals in five minutes after the interval to complete his hat-trick, before Neco Williams and substitute Jota Silva concluded the scoring.
His treble saw Wood become the first Forest pla🌊yer to scorꦯe a top-flight hat-trick at the City Ground since Nigel Clough did so against QPR in December 1987.
Wood has also scored 17 league goals this 🦩season, his outright most ever in a single Premier League campaign. Only Stan Collymore (22 in 1994-95) has scored more for Forest in a season in the competition.
However, Wood was quick to highlight the importance of his team-mates in a victory that moved Nu꧙no Espirito Santo's side level on points with second-placed Arsenal in the table.
"What a difference a week can make. ✃Down in the dumps after last week," Wood told TNT Sports, referring to the 5-0 loss at Bournemouth in Forest's previous outing.
"It wasn't us, it wasn't like us, bu🧔t today, that was definitely us.
"It is all credit to the team. [Elanga] puts it on a plate for 𒉰me, so it makes my job easier every time. Then Morgs [Gibbs-White] handed me the penalty for the hat-trick.
"💫It's fantastic, the boys have done superbl💜y showing character to come back from last week. That is what we're about."
Two of Wood's goals came from magnificꦓent assists from Elanga, wit🍎h the Swede also setting up Gibbs-White for Forest's second.
Elanga is just the second Forest player to provide three or more assists in a sin🐠gle Premier League game, after Bryan Roy against Sheffield Wednesday in April 1995.
Only Chelsea duo Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson (12) have combined for more Premier League goals since the start of last 𒈔season than Wood and Elanga (11).
Elanga's 10 assists for Wood are the most one pla🌜yer has provided for a specific teammate during this period, and the Forest striker praised the connection he has formed with the former Manchester Unite𝓰d winger.
"We know the relationship that we have. We have that bond, the connection, and he does superbly for me, and it shows in the statistics," Wood ওsaid.
"A hat-trick o💛f assists ꦜnever goes unnoticed. The boy is on flames."
