Morgan Gibbs-White’s hat-trick fired Nottingham Forest closer to safety and left Burnley on the brink of Premier League relegation.
The England international’s second-half treble – and Igor Jesus’ late strike – lifted Forest five points clear of the drop zone after their first home league win since December.
Second-to-bottom Burnley are 12 points from safety with five games left and will be relegated if West Ham beat Crystal Palace on Monday and they fail to win against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Forest’s victory also compounded Tottenham’s relegation fears after their dramatic 2-2 draw with Brighton on Saturday, with Spurs 18th and a point behind West Ham having played a game more.
It came after Vitor Pereira’s Forest extended their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions – their best form of the season.
The hosts, who lost defender Murillo to injury, needed to come from behind after Zian Flemming fired in Quilindschy Hartman’s low cross in first-half stoppage time.
Forest were poor in the first half but two Gibbs-White goals in seven minutes turned the game before the 26-year-old completed his first career hat-trick, looping in a header from Ryan Yates’ cross with 13 minutes left.
Substitute Jesus then made it 4-1 when he ran clean through in stoppage time and found the corner.
Nottingham Forest analysis: Season-defining week completed with style
Going into their Europa League quarter-final with Porto, Nottingham Forest were entering their season-defining period.
Fast forward 10 days and they are in the last four of a European competition for the first time in 42 years having also claimed four crucial points in their battle against relegation.
Gibbs-White’s hat-trick was the catalyst against Burnley and Forest’s star man produced when his team desperately needed it.
This week – with a draw against Aston Villa and the quarter-final second-leg victory over Porto on Thursday – should give Forest the final platform for survival.
This win leaves Pereira’s side closing in on safety and still with a chance of European glory.
A first home league win since the 3-0 victory over Tottenham in December should also ease the anxiety at the City Ground.
The nerves were evident after Zian Flemming’s first-half opener at the end of a wretched first half which lacked intensity and imagination.
With the loss of Murillo – who limped on to the pitch to celebrate at the final whistle – Forest’s afternoon could have fallen apart. But impressive resilience and recovery rescued them to earn a vital win at the bottom.
