Newcastle United shut up Nottingham Forest hype as 'worst man of the match' clear to see

Comeback kids Newcastle killed off the proud defensive record of high flying Nottingham Forest and shut up all the pre-match hype about Chris Wood's fleeting imitation of a proper super-scoring centre-forward like Alan Shearer. The confirmation down by the Trent was not that Forest are a side shooting for the Champions League but that United are back to what they were with their third successive victory.

Robin Hood's merry men had come into battle with the second best defensive record in the Premier League - just seven goals conceded in 10 league games - but they were blown away by a three-goal second-half blast from the Mighty Mags. If United had been a tad short on goals - only 10 in 10 - then they gorged themselves when it was desperately needed. Rat-tat-tat... Alexander Isak, Joelinton and Harvey Barnes. All things of beauty.

Maybe United were trailing at half-time but make no mistake overall they were the better team, the dominant team while those at home played on the counter.

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Man of the match: mighty man Big Joe topping it off with a decisive super strike to give United the lead? Joe Willock who when Forest threatened to do a Dick Turpin was the go-to player? Or anyone of your choice on a fab afternoon. Worst man of the match? No doubt in anyone's mind, Anthony Taylor, a referee of supposed international standing who had an absolute bomber.

He ought to have sent off Forest's assassin Ryan Yates before half-time for two yellow card offences when he was standing only yards away and looking directly at the action. First Yates elbowed Tino Livramento in the head on the edge of the Forest box only for the home team to break and Dan Burn to be booked instead which means he misses United's next game home to West Ham. Then Yeats dug his studs into Sean Longstaff's knee with Taylor an indifferent onlooker.

It took until the 65th minute for Taylor to yellow Yeats for doing Isak. What a joke. Just as well it didn't cost United in the end though it has cost Burn.

I had forecast a Newcastle victory in my pre-match podcasts because I felt United had risen from their bed of nails and Forest were in something of a false position having played some average teams outside of Liverpool, Chelsea and perhaps Brighton which inflated their record.

Same with Wood. He has scored a pile of goals and good luck to him but don't turn him into Shearer or SuperMac or Wor Jackie. They did it season upon season upon season whereas Wood scored four PL goals in two campaigns with us and has yet to score more than 14 in a PL season over his whole career. He is honest, gives everything, and benefits from the service of two flying wingers but he hasn't the easy skills and the acceleration of Isak who made it four goals from United's last four games with an instinctive equaliser at the City Ground. Chris is a good No.9 for Forest as he was for Burnley but harsh as it may be not a top four centre-forward.

Barnes did what he does best when he came on - not assist but finish. He is devastating when arriving off the bench and he killed the game.

Thankfully for us Elliot Anderson wasn't able to give grandad the best of birthday presents. United's former Fairs Cup winger Geoff Allen was 78 on match day but by the time he proudly watched grandson Elliot come on Isak had just equalised and Newcastle were in the ascendancy.

United are now in a good position to press on after the international break. Let it be.