Newcastle United 3 Nottingham Forest 1: A Dwight Gayle brace ensures Rafa Benitez’s men return to the top of the table
The Magpies outclassed the reds throughout the match, and were unlucky not to go into the second half in front after Nicolao Dumitru cancelled out Matt Ritchie's early opener
WITH no fog on the Tyne to hold them back, Newcastle reclaimed top spot in the Championship.
Dwight Gayle’s two goals took him to 19 for the campaign and sealed three points for Rafa Benitez’s men against ten-man Nottingham Forest.
Visiting boss Philippe Montanier will feel fourth official Jeremy Simpson cost his side as they crashed to a third straight defeat.
Simpson’s intervention led to Forest captain Matt Mills’ dismissal in the 61st minute.
Card-happy referee Keith Stroud booked the central defender for his meaty challenge on Ayoze Perez, which could easily have been a straight red. But he missed Mills slamming the ball into the chest of Gayle as he walked away.
Eagle-eyed Simpson clocked the offence and alerted Stroud immediately, who showed Mills a second yellow card and sent him off.
It changed the game and Forest — who had pulled level before the break — folded, allowing Gayle to score two of the easiest league goals of his 19 so far.
The Newcastle No 9 received a standing ovation when he went off three minutes before the end.
After nine-man Newcastle lost at the City Ground — later having two red cards rescinded — they will have little sympathy for Forest.
Toon made a near-perfect start in front of St James’ Park biggest crowd of the season — 52,228 — going ahead in the fourth minute.
It came from a Matt Ritchie free-kick just outside the Forest penalty area that deflected off the wall and totally wrong-footed Forest keeper Vladimir Stojkovic.
Montanier clearly believed referee Stroud was generous in awarding Newcastle the free-kick in the first place when Ben Osborn and Paul Dummett seemed to collide mid-air.
The Frenchman continued berating fourth official Simpson as Ritchie celebrated his fourth league goal of the season with Toon fans.
And Montanier’s mood can hardly have improved for the next 15 minutes as his side came under siege.
Christian Atsu, recalled by Benitez, saw a shot deflected narrowly wide before a cross aimed for Jack Colback was cleared by Jack Hobbs.
Isaac Hayden created two chances for Gayle but Stojkovic was more than equal to his two weak headers.
Forest survived that sticky patch and started to create chances — then it was Benitez’s turn to get frustrated with Stroud and his officials.
Ciaran Clark’s booking for a foul on Pajtim Kasami when he won the ball was the start of the Spaniard’s own personal battle with the referee.
But it was slack Magpies defending led to Forest’s equaliser when they failed to clear Matty Cash’s deep cross and Nicolao Dumitru buried it under Karl Darlow.
The visitors had a host of half-chances before the break but Kasami wasted two before a soft effort from Nicklas Bendtner.
With Mills sent off on the hour, Toon took control.
When Eric Lichaj made a mess of a clearance just minutes later, Gayle who made no mistake with Stojkovic inexplicably out of position.
The Forest keeper denied Ritchie but was helpless on 80 minutes when the Scotsman’s cross was deflected into the path of Gayle to bundle the ball over the line.