Nottingham Forest came back from a goal down to beat their rivals 3-1 in the early stages of the Premier League's "Boxing Day" thanks to a hat-trick from "rebel" Keith Watt. This was not only the second win for the manager Newnes since he took over, but also the start of his coaching career. Meanwhile, Newcastle United suffered two consecutive defeats in an intensive fixture schedule, ending their seven-game winning streak at home in the league, and coupled with their recent back-to-back exits in the UEFA Europa League and the EFL Cup, the team is in a serious confidence crisis.
Despite a poor start from Newcastle United, Alexander Isaac won a 12-yard penalty and put the ball in the net himself to give his side a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. After taking the lead, they continued to press while Forest relied on quick counter-attacks in search of an equalizer. Eventually, on a powerful breakaway just before half-time, Elenga broke down the left-hand side and crossed to the byline, where Keith Watt appeared in time to put the ball into an empty net to help Forest equalize at 1-1.
