Nottingham Forest 1-3 Newcastle: Alexander Isak, Joelinton and Harvey Barnes net for Magpies after Murillo’s header gave hosts lead

Newcastle’s bench emptied onto the pitch after the Joelinton goal that put them in front, and Nottingham Forest would have been forgiven for fearing it was another black-and-white wave about to crash on their shore.

That is how it felt in the second half here, as those visiting bodies flooded forward, scoring three times to take a deserved three points and making it three wins on the spin in the process.

Forest, by contrast, did not look like the side who started the day in third. They sunk with barely a trace after leading at the interval and, their goal apart, rarely looked like scoring. 

Free-scoring Chris Wood was cut down to size against his former club by one of the few defenders taller than him, and Dan Burn was a giant in every sense here.

But the headlines will go to Joelinton, whose superb curler gave Newcastle a lead that felt inevitable from the moment the second period restarted. They were so much better than their hosts after half-time.

Murillo headed home Anthonhy Elanga’s freekick to open the scoring after 21 minutes

Alexander Isak finished from close-range after Forest failed to defend a corner 54 minutes in

Joelinton’s goal was bookended by Alexander Isak’s equaliser and Harvey Barnes’ sealer seven minutes from time, moving Eddie Howe’s resurgent side to just one point behind Forest.

Forest, though, had a smart tactic in the first half – let Newcastle have the ball, wait for them to give it back and break. The spell of pressure that brought the opening goal came from Fabian Schar gifting Forest possession when his team-mates were committed forward. 

A lot happened in between time – a controversial award of a corner and a free-kick then conceded by Joe Willock for a foul on Anthony Elanga – but Newcastle were only on the back foot because of their own misstep.

Elanga delivered the free-kick from the right and Murillo ran away from Isak and across Joelinton before flashing a header beyond Nick Pope. The centre-back needed an all-zones pass given how many of Newcastle’s he had journeyed through. He is a joyous player, Murillo, as if controlled by a friend with a joypad in the stands.

His team-mate Ryan Yates, meanwhile, plays as if under instruction by a terrace hooligan. His forearm drew blood from the lip of Tino Livramento early on and he then landed his studs around the knee of Sean Longstaff. 

On both occasions he escaped not only a caution, but also a foul. He was eventually booked in the 65th minute when cynically stopping a Newcastle attack. It was 1-1 by this point and, with Newcastle in control and Forest drowning, it was a necessary intervention. Forest could only keep the shark from the bay for so long, however.

Newcastle had drawn level when Isak turned in his fourth in as many matches after Anthony Gordon’s corner dropped kindly amid bodies. But the goal that put them in front and the one that made sure of victory were both from incisive breakaways. They never wanted the ball for too long after all.

Isak fed Joelinton and he stepped away from Elanga before bending inside the post with his left foot on 72 minutes. Another counter-attack and another goal followed as Sandro Tonali found Barnes and the substitute did what he does best, cutting inside on his right and snapping inside the near post.

The Swedish striker now has four goals in his last four following his latest strike on Sunday

Game over and game on for Newcastle, whose top-four ambitions are not as fanciful as they seemed a fortnight ago.

The central defender, who will head away on international duty with Brazil after receiving his first call-up, got in front of his marker from Anthony Elanga’s free-kick to glance past a helpless Nick Pope.

Newcastle’s response was good and they pushed for an immediate leveller, with Bruno Guimaraes forcing Matz Sels into a stretching save.

The Belgium goalkeeper was again called into action to keep out Dan Burn’s bundled effort at the far post.

Forest were on the back foot as half-time approached and Newcastle thought they should have had a penalty when Elanga went through the back of Joe Willock.

Newcastle started the second half on top again and Guimaraes came close with an audacious effort with the outside of his boot which went just over.

The visitors’ dominance did leave them susceptible to Forest’s counter attack and Nicolas Dominguez could have made it two as he raced clear from Chris Wood’s pass but Pope saved with his feet.

And moments later, in the 54th minute, Newcastle were finally level.

Anthony Gordon’s corner fell kindly to Isak who pounced to convert from close range.

Joelinton curled the ball into the far corner from the edge of the area to put the Magpies ahead

Newcastle killed the game in the 83rd minute when Harvey Barnes converted at the near post

The game opened up and, as Forest countered again, Burn was lucky not to earn a second yellow card when he chopped down Jota Silva.

Isak blazed a volley just wide before Newcastle did go ahead in the 72nd minute from a counter attack of their own.

Isak fed Joelinton and the Brazilian was given too much space to curl into the far corner from the edge of the area.

They killed the game in the 83rd minute with another goal from back to front as Barnes converted at the near post.

Eddie Howe’s men saw the game out with ease to move up to eighth, just a point behind Forest in third.