Chris Wood left his former club Newcastle stunned with a stellar hat-trick for Nottingham Forest in a boxing day clash. The New Zealand striker, starting under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, netted three goals to secure a 3-1 win for Forest at St James’ Park. Wood’s hat-trick came after Aleksandar Isak had initially given Newcastle the lead in their bid to reverse a challenging run of form. Wood was offloaded from Newcastle’s camp, after arriving in January 2022, where he scored just four Premier League goals in 35 appearances. 
Chris Wood scored hat-trick, hands Nottingham needed three points – Getty image His first goal in first-half injury time was a straightforward tap-in from close range after excellent work by Anthony Elanga. The second was a fine finish, with Wood chipping the ball over the goalkeeper from a tight angle. While Wood was the star of the game, Forest also relied on contributions from Joe Worrall and Neco Williams to secure the win. The victory takes Nottingham Forest to 17 points, while Newcastle remains seven points off the top four, facing the risk of slipping further down the table in upcoming matches.
Willian at a match for Nottingham Forest. Source: Getty The Cottages have since returned with an improved offer which Willian is reported to still be considering but he’s held talks with Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper and has already moved fast to undergo his medical. Sources say that Willian team’s offered him to Chelsea when talks with Fulham broke down but the Blues turned down the chance as they look to go a different direction. Should he choose Nottingham Forest, Willian will sign a lucrative deal to play at the City Ground and could have the option of finishing his career in Greece with Forest’s sister club, Olympiacos. He will also become Forest’s first summer signing should a deal be reached. The 34-year-old veteran made 30 appearances for Fulham last season. He scored five goals and provided six assists during the 2022-23 season. 
Willian posing with Brazil’s flag. Source: Getty The former Chelsea and Arsenal player is a two-time Premier League winner with the Blues, as well as winning the UEFA Cup in 2009 with Shakhtar Donetsk and the Europa League 10 years later with Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea. Willian earned 70 Brazil caps between 2011 and 2019, scoring nine times, most recently during their run to winning the Copa America in the last year of the 2010s. Fulham were one of the surprise packages of the season in their first campaign back in the English top-flight, as they finished in the top half of the table. Nottingham Forest finished in 16th place, securing their status in the Premier League with a week remaining. 
Manchester City have won the Premier League title for a fifth time in six seasons after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, May 20. A first-half strike from Super Eagles star, Taiwo Awoniyi was enough to secure the win at the City Ground, and it also helped Nottingham Forest survive relegation from the Premier League. 
The Gunners set a barnstorming pace this season, but the wheels started to come off in early April when their draw at Anfield kick-started a worrying run of three further games without a win, opening the door for City to close what was recently an eight-point gap.Trending:Another Nigerian lady set to break Guinness World Record as she begins counting of rice grains (Video) Arsenal’s sucker punch landed last weekend when Brighton came away from the Emirates Stadium with a resounding 3-0 victory, on the same day City beat Everton by the same scoreline. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will face Chelsea on Sunday, May 21, in their final home game of the season, where they will once again lift the trophy they have retained for the third season in succession. 
City are now two victories away from completing a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble, a feat only achieved once in English football by Manchester United in 1998/99. 
