Newcastle United 4 Nottingham Forest 3 | OneFootball

Forest, who started the day in third place, took an early lead through Callum Hudson-Odoi but were then blown away by the Magpies, who breathed new life into their own Champions League challenge after coming out on top by the odd goal in seven.

Lewis Miley started the comeback with his first league goal of the season before Jacob Murphy netted his sixth of the season.

Then Alexander Isak scored his 49th and 50th Premier League goals for the club to push the Magpies up to fifth - a jump of three places - despite second-half goals from Nicola Milenković and Ryan Yates.

Miley was one of three changes from the previous week's defeat at Manchester City, with Tino Livramento and Nick Pope also coming into the starting XI.

For Pope, it was a first league start since December - but the England goalkeeper was picking the ball out of the net inside six minutes.

The Magpies carelessly surrendered possession from a throw-in and Hudson-Odoi was presented with the space to drive towards goal and fire beyond Pope from 20 yards with a low effort.

It was the 20th time this season that Forest have scored the opening goal in a Premier League game - more than any other side and a key reason for their fine form.

United responded with a Miley shot which was deflected wide by Murillo, then Gordon narrowly failed to force home from a Livramento cut-back.

Then came the leveller in the 23rd minute. Lewis Hall's deep free kick was met by Bruno Guimarães and kept alive by Joe Willock, allowing Hall to deliver once more. This time, Miley took a touch and drilled home with a left-footed strike.

Rather than celebrating scoring in his first Premier League start in over a year, the 18-year-old raced back to the centre circle - demonstrating his and United's desire to push on from there.

And two minutes later, they were in front. Hudson-Odoi worked space for a shot but it was gathered by Pope, who then wasted no time in launching an attack. Within the blink of an eye, the ball was with Anthony Gordon then - via an Isak backheel - Hall. His cross was deflected into the path of Murphy, who adjusted his body well to divert it into the net.

Hall was involved again as Newcastle made it 3-1, with his cross from the left blocked by the outstretched arm of Ola Aina. After a VAR check, referee Jarred Gillett was sent over to the monitor and awarded a penalty which Isak duly dispatched - although Matz Sels nearly kept out his spot-kick.

It meant the Swedish striker maintained his record of scoring in every game he's played against Forest, and he was celebrating again seconds later when Willock slid him in to make it a half-century of goals in the top flight.

On the day before his 30th birthday, Murphy was denied a brace of his own by Sels after a flowing Magpies move at the end of the first half, then Fabian Schär headed against a post from a Hall corner at the beginning of the second.

But Forest kept on going, and after Anthony Elanga fired over from just a couple of yards out, they pulled one back in the 63rd minute with a clever finish from Milenković.

Miley then blocked a goalbound effort from former United man Elliot Anderson before Murillo headed wide from a Forest corner and Milenković was off target with another header in the 85th minute.

As stoppage time approached, Pope pushed a cross-shot from Morgan Gibbs-White over the bar and from the resulting corner, Yates scrambled home - but United claimed the three points thanks largely to their four-goal blast in the first half.