Chris Wood’s two Nottingham Forest goals sink Burnley to confirm survival

Even the most pessimistic of Nottingham Forest fans could enjoy the confirmation of Premier League survival on the final day, leading from the second minute of their victory over Burnley to guarantee a third consecutive season in the top flight.

A Forest loss, Luton win and 13-goal swing were required to send the visitors down at Turf Moor but none of these came to pass. With Burnley relegated, the obstacles to salvation were almost non-existent, as a Chris Wood double proved more than enough against his former club.

The result was confirmed by the time a quarter of an hour had ticked by. Anthony Elanga beat Charlie Taylor with pace and skill before finding Wood at the back post to ignite the away supporters’ party early.

The red corner’s celebrations included anti-VAR chants but it was the video assistant who helped Forest double their lead when Wood diverted a Ryan Yates shot past Arijanet Muric in the 14th minute to finish off the game. The flag was belatedly lifted and the goal briefly annulled until the replayed showed Wood was being kept on, leading to a more triumphalist rendition about technology.

The only drama at Turf Moor came pre-match when staff heard meowing coming from the wall between the two changing rooms, resulting in a hammer being to the plaster and hole created in order to rescue the kitten that the club believe was born overnight. It was planned that the feline would be named after the scorer of the winning goal. Welcome, Woody.

Josh Cullen pulled one back to give the sun-drenched Burnley fans something to celebrate, as his deflected shot bamboozled Mats Selz after clipping Murillo.

What both clubs need is stability. Burnley’s promotion, like Forest’s the year before, was followed by an overhaul of the squad but they go back down with a group of players that will be confident of returning at the first attempt. Burnley’s most recent accounts resulted in a warning from the auditor suggesting relegation will require players to be sold and wages reduced. After such a dismal season, however, it is hard to envisage who could earn Burnley a profit.

Forest showed there are reasons to be optimistic as Morgan Gibbs-White looked a cut above everyone else on the pitch between Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, while Brazilians Murillo and Danilo are fine long-term prospects, who have already proved their worth.

Forest might need to sell one of their assets to avoid another points deduction, but they have a full summer of planning ahead, knowing they will be in the Premier League. If they want to add a fourth year, they might want to keep things a little calmer off the pitch to end the future on it.