Newcastle United fought back to win at the City Ground again on Sunday, beating high-flying Nottingham Forest 3-1 with a ruthless second-half display.

The Magpies had defeated Forest away from home in each of the previous two seasons, but Nuno Espirito Santo's hosts looked set for a fourth win in a row when Murillo nodded in his first career goal.

That opener was arguably harsh on Newcastle, though, and a deserved equaliser arrived nine minutes after half-time as Alexander Isak scored in a fourth consecutive match in all competitions.

Isak, who netted twice in a 2-1 win at Forest in March 2023, then turned provider for the second goal as Joelinton brilliantly beat Matz Sels, before substitute Harvey Barnes broke away to net the third.

Another victory, following on from last week's win against Arsenal, lifts Newcastle to within a point of Forest, who drop to fifth following Chelsea's 1-1 draw with the Gunners.

How the match unfolded

Newcastle might have scored first when Anthony Gordon blazed over, but Forest led against the run of play after 21 minutes as Murillo was left completely unmarked from a free-kick to nod past Nick Pope.

The first half continued in the same vein, with Newcastle well on top and testing Sels through Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn but looking vulnerable to the counter.

One of those situations almost saw Nicolas Dominguez double Forest's lead early in the second half, yet instead Newcastle were level as a scramble from a corner fell for Isak to sweep in.

That allowed Newcastle to give Forest a taste of their own medicine, playing on the break, and although Isak volleyed agonisingly wide, the goalscorer then teed up Joelinton, who curled an outstanding effort home via the left-hand post.

Another clinical counter made sure of the points seven minutes from time, with Barnes, on for the injured Gordon, cutting inside from the left and firing beyond Sels.

Backs to the wall for Forest

Forest had won three in a row against sides in the bottom half, but this was a sobering indication of what might be to come at the start of a tough run of fixtures.

This was the first of six encounters with teams who finished in last season's top eight in the space of their next eight matches, also facing Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa before hosting Tottenham on Boxing Day.

Forest perhaps would have hoped to recreate their 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield when they took the lead through Murillo, the centre-back recently called up to the Brazil squad for the first time, working hard to protect that advantage in the first half. 

But teams with the quality of Newcastle can afford to stay patient in the face of such frustration, and they were good value for the leveller, after which the league's second-best defence suddenly looked a little vulnerable.

Arsenal are up next for Forest after the international break, by which time Nuno will hope his defenders are refreshed and ready for a potentially brutal stretch.

Howe finds winning formula

Newcastle lacked balance during a five-match winless run in the Premier League across September and October, largely performing well but wasting chances at one end while leaving themselves open at the other.

Eddie Howe responded by reverting to a set-up widely used in the 2022-23 season, moving Joelinton into the forward line and bolstering the midfield, and he was rewarded with victories over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and Arsenal in the league.

It was no surprise then that the Newcastle boss named an unchanged XI at the City Ground, and the outcome was much the same. Only a cheap opening goal from a set-piece marred what was a brilliant away display.

Most encouraging for Howe would have been the contributions from out wide. Newcastle are short of natural right wingers, but both Gordon and Joelinton fulfilled that role against Forest, with the latter netting a vital goal.

The introduction of Barnes from the bench showed the depth of options on the left, and he scored one and might have had another in the closing seconds as Newcastle were ultimately comfortable against previously inspired opposition.

Club reports

Forest report | Newcastle report

Match officials

Referee: Anthony Taylor. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn. Fourth official: Michael Salisbury. VAR: Tim Robinson. Assistant VAR: Lee Betts.