Key conclusions from Sunderland's 5-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Sunderland suffered their heaviest Premier League loss of the season, beaten 5-0 by Nottingham Forest at the Stadium of Light on Friday, a result that made it back-to-back league defeats for only the second time this campaign.

For 15 minutes it threatened to be a mini classic, open and frantic with chances at both ends, Chris Rigg denied by Matz Sels after Enzo Le Fée’s pass. As reported by Sunderland Echo, Forest’s aggressive press unsettled the hosts before the visitors imposed themselves.

By full-time there was no argument. Forest’s attacking approach forced errors, while Sunderland were too casual and only found some composure after Régis Le Bris’s changes in the second half. Repeated lapses left Igor Jesus free at the back post for three goals, and aside from Le Fée, key players fell short and must quickly refocus to avoid the season fizzling out.

Dan Ballard’s disallowed goal barely mattered to the outcome, but a five-minute check and the eventual call showed VAR at its worst. Contact between Nordi Mukiele and Sels was debatable, not a clear and obvious error, and intervention jarred with the stated aim not to re-referee games.

The week also felt like fortune snapping back. Sunderland have outperformed XG at times and profited from opponents’ misses, yet Villa scored four from an XG of 2.84 and Forest hit five from 1.10, a ruthless streak. Teams who struggled early are now showing quality, and Forest’s XI underlined the scale of the test.

Selection did not decide it, but the call still backfired. Reinildo’s intensity in one-v-one duels was missed, even if recalling Trai Hume was fair on this season’s form and his display at Villa Park last term. It would be a major shock if Reinildo is not restored at Wolves on Saturday, while Wilson Isidor’s lively cameo suggested he could have a big part to play.

Source: Sunderland Echo