Morgan Gibbs-White hat-trick leaves Tottenham fans wondering what if | OneFootball

Morgan Gibbs-White’s 15-minute hat-trick flipped a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 win over Burnley, propelling Nottingham Forest towards safety and opening a five-point gap to Tottenham in 18th.

According to NY Times, Tottenham believed last July they had triggered a confidential £60million release clause, only for owner Evangelos Marinakis to fly to Portugal and, after 30 minutes with the No 10, secure a club-record contract.

At half-time Vitor Pereira’s side trailed 1-0 and looked flat. A tweak moved Gibbs-White into the left channel, defending wide and drifting inside in possession. All three goals arrived from that corridor.

The first came on 62 minutes when a Nikola Milenkovic header was flicked on by former Forest loanee James Ward-Prowse, Gibbs-White took a touch at the far post and found the bottom corner. Seven minutes later Omari Hutchinson crossed from the right for a near-replica finish. Substitute Ryan Yates then delivered from the right for a looping header beyond Martin Dubravka, the first hat-trick of Gibbs-White’s career.

The former Wolves midfielder is up to 12 Premier League goals, his best league return outside the play-offs. Since the start of March, no top-flight player has scored more in all competitions, with his strikes earning a 2-2 draw at Manchester City, a 3-0 win at Tottenham and a 1-0 victory over Porto into the Europa League semi-final.

Pereira hailed his captain’s leadership, appetite for the ball and willingness to take responsibility, adding that he embraced the positional change. The treble will surely have given Thomas Tuchel food for thought with other England No 10 options, including Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, not in peak form. There is also a real possibility Forest’s survival could come at Tottenham’s expense, and if West Ham win at Crystal Palace Roberto De Zerbi’s side would be four points adrift with five matches left.

Source: NY Times