Morgan Gibbs-White joins exclusive Nottingham Forest club with heroic Burnley hat-trick

Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White joined an elite crowd of Tricky Trees players with his hat-trick against Burnley in Sunday's 4-1 Premier League win.

The Garibaldi came into the weekend riding high off the back of their progression to the Europa League semi-finals, but the first 45 minutes at the City Ground could hardly have gone worse.

Shortly after losing Murillo to a hamstring injury that could rule the Brazilian defender out for the rest of the season, Vitor Pereira's side fell behind to a Zian Flemming effort on the stroke of half time.

However, Nottingham Forest found a second wave in the second half, thanks largely to the inspired Gibbs-White, who struck a maiden Premier League hat-trick for the Reds at the City Ground.

Igor Jesus added a fourth for Nottingham Forest in the 98th minute just for good measure, as Pereira's men created some much-needed breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone.

Morgan Gibbs-White becomes third Nottingham Forest Premier League hat-trick scorer

Morgan Gibbs-White, TAKE A BOW!

It's a second half hat-trick for the Nottingham Forest star! ? pic.twitter.com/qdVeyA6wnW
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 19, 2026

The final whistle blew shortly after, as Gibbs-White collected his match ball and was jokingly bowed to by overjoyed head coach Pereira as he lapped up the adulation from the crowd.

By finding the back of the net three times on Sunday, the 26-year-old became just the third player in history to score a Premier League hat-trick for Nottingham Forest.

Gibbs-White followed in the footsteps of teammate Chris Wood and the late Kevin Campbell, the latter of whom was the first Forest player to score a Premier League treble against Coventry City in 1996.

Wood then followed suit with a hat-trick against old club Newcastle United in 2023, two years before the New Zealand talisman repeated the trick against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Forest's emphatic victory lifted the Tricky Trees five points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League table, and four points above West Ham United, who take on Crystal Palace on Monday night.

Morgan Gibbs-White hails "massive step" towards Premier League survival

No matter what West Ham do at Selhurst Park, survival is in Nottingham Forest's hands, and Gibbs-White refused to downplay the importance of Sunday's result.

"Every game between now and the end of the season is going to be important for us, no matter if it's the Europa League or Premier League," the England international told Sky Sports at full time.

"Every game is a final and we have to treat it like that. Those were the manager's word and it was clear to us that we have to give everything.

"We're going to do that from now until the end of the season. It's a massive step [towards Premier League survival]. We just have to sit back now and see what other people do."

Forest now have four full days to recover before facing Sunderland at the Stadium of Light next Friday, and Pereira's men then host Aston Villa in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on April 30.