The 20-minute whirlwind that took Nottingham Forest to the brink of Premier League safety

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But, for once, it was a more welcome brand of chaos — a whirlwind of four goals scored between the 17th and 37th minutes at the Stadium of Light — which helped Forest strike a huge blow in their relegation fight. The 5-0 victory, sealed with Newcastle-born Elliot Anderson netting the final goal in injury time at the end, against a surprisingly fragile Sunderland helped to create a host of impressive statistics. Forest have now scored more goals than any other top-flight side (16), since Pereira joined on February 15 — ahead of Brighton (14), Arsenal (13), Liverpool (13) and Manchester City (12). That figure is, of course, hugely swayed by the nine goals Forest have scored in their last two games, following last Sunday’s 4-1 win over Burnley. But another example of their recent ruthless firepower is the fact that, by the time they went 4-0 up in the north-east, Pereira’s side had scored from eight of their most recent nine shots on target. The stat that mattered most was more straightforward: the eight-point gap victory gave them between themselves and 18th-place Tottenham. Both Tottenham and West Ham — who now trail Forest by six points — will play twice before Forest are next in Premier League action, at Chelsea on Monday, May 4. But their explosive form in front of goal has given Forest another potentially valuable advantage over the two teams immediately below them. Their goal difference is now -4, with West Ham sitting on -17 and Tottenham on -11. Forest are not safe yet. But they are within touching distance. And, for the first time, Pereira will have the freedom to put the Europa League first; to pick his strongest available side when Aston Villa visit the City Ground next Thursday for the first leg of their semi-final. Prior to now, all of Pereira’s Europa League team selections have been made with one eye on what was coming next. Now he can afford to prioritise the quest to secure a trip to Istanbul for the final at the end of May. An arm/shoulder injury sustained by Jair Cunha could see the manager short of options in the centre of defence, where he is already missing Murillo with a muscle problem. But Forest can still dare to dream that a fractured, disjointed season might somehow end up an outstanding one. The four goals they scored in those 20 first-half minutes epitomised why even the cautious Pereira can allow himself some optimism. The first came as a result of a fine delivery from Omari Hutchinson — a young man who has struggled for consistency following his £37.5million ($50.7m) move from Ipswich Town — which picked out Igor Jesus at the far post. The Brazilian’s header took a deflection off defender Trai Hume to put Forest in front. There were just five minutes 59 seconds between Chris Wood putting Forest 2-0 ahead and Jesus making it 4-0, their shortest gap between three goals in a Premier League match. Wood’s goal owed a little to good fortune and a lot to his composure, the striker partially blocking a sloppy pass from keeper Robin Roefs with Morgan Gibbs-White picking up the loose ball. He fed Wood in the box and he applied a simple finish. It was the New Zealand international’s first Premier League goal since the opening day win over Brentford. Having him — as he continues his return from a serious knee injury — and Jesus in the side together has changed the dynamic significantly. “What happens with Igor now is because he is not playing alone,” said Pereira in his post-match press conference. “He is playing on the back of the striker, in the pocket; in the zone. He is a dangerous player.” In Gibbs-White (16) and Jesus (15), Forest are the only Premier League side to have two players who have scored over 15 goals across all competitions this season. An intelligent knock down from Jesus set up Gibbs-White to sweep home Forest’s third goal. Since the start of March, the former Wolves man has scored seven top-flight goals, three more than any other player. Jesus had been a key figure in two of the goals — and secured one of his own to round off the first-half scoring in the 37th minute with an emphatic finish suggestive of a player who has found his confidence. The same applies to the side as a whole. Forest are now eight games unbeaten and have won their last three. They have scored 21.9 per cent of their 41 Premier League goals across their last 180 minutes of football. At the other end, Matz Sels pulled off a truly world-class save to preserve his clean sheet late on. Pereira looks increasingly likely to stage a repeat of last season, when he guided Wolverhampton Wanderers away from trouble with a flurry of victories over the run in. He has forged the same bond with Forest supporters as he had with those in the West Midlands, celebrating with them with joyous fist-pumps at the end. He will hope for a favour from his former club when they host Tottenham on Saturday. “I suffer with our games,” added Pereira. “That is enough! Maybe I will be at home, drinking a pint — but I will not watch. The worst thing we can do, if our life is in our own hands, is not to focus on our own fight. We must focus on us; on keeping the distance by winning games. “It is never about them; about the other teams. It is about us. Only us.” Forest’s last away win by five goals or more in the top division was a 7-1 victory at Sheffield Wednesday in April 1995, with Bryan Roy and Stan Collymore leading the charge with two goals apiece. That win is still cherished by supporters even today. You wonder if, in another 30 years from now, this night on Wearside — or specifically 20 frenzied first-half minutes that ensured the result was beyond doubt — will be remembered in the same way by those who witnessed it. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms