Elliot Anderson pays touching tribute to his mum after Nottingham Forest goal

The midfielder rounded off a fantastic night for the Reds at the Stadium of Light as they cruised to a 5-0 win. A Trai Hume own goal and efforts from Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus had put the visitors in dreamland before the break, then Anderson put the icing on the cake in second-half added time.

The England international recently lost his mother, Helen. And as a former Newcastle United man, scoring against the Black Cats was a special moment for him.

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"We're on a great run,” Anderson told Sky Sports. “It’s taken time but we're believing in ourselves and the manager is right behind us. We're enjoying it.

"I'm happy to score here. My mum would have been really proud of that one."

Victory moved Forest eight points clear of the bottom three with four games to go. The result piled the pressure on relegation rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, who both play today (Saturday).

Vitor Pereira’s men are now eight matches unbeaten in all competitions. The last time the club won by at least five goals on the road in the Premier League was in April 1995, when they toppled Sheffield Wednesday 7-1.

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Prior to last weekend’s 4-1 thumping of Burnley, the Reds had paid tribute to Anderson’s mother on an emotional afternoon at the City Ground. Striker Wood saluted his teammate for the way he has carried himself during a very difficult time.

"He's an extraordinary man,” Wood said of Anderson. “For what his family have gone through over the last few weeks. Heartbreaking.

“It takes a strong character and a strong bloke to come out and perform like that. The goal was a tribute to his mum."

Head coach Pereira said of Anderson’s goal: “He makes part of our family. This is the moment to be with him, to support him, to help him everyday.

“He is a fantastic player with a strong, strong character. He is a fighter, a winner and he proved again he deserves everything."