Follow live coverage as Nottingham Forest face Brighton & Hove Albion today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.
Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:
Nottingham Forest FC 5 - 0 Brighton & Hove Albion FC
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
14:09Van Hecke carves down Williams as he looks to shift in-field from the left flank. That was a frustrated challenge from the Dutchman after he lost an aerial duel with Wood.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
14:08We see a brief stoppage as Elanga is down holding his arm. A rogue boot looks to have clamped down on him as he was tackled.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
14:03Murillo is helped off to a great response. Veteran Willy Boly is on for the last 20 minutes.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
14:03Substitution Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck Evan Joe Ferguson
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
14:03Substitution Morgan Anthony Gibbs-White João Pedro Ferreira Silva
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
14:03There are concerns here as Murillo is down holding his hip. It seems the Brazilian will be sidelined for the rest of this game. It's not worth risking a star player.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
14:00Penalty Goal Christopher Grant Wood
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:59PENALTY! The corner comes in and Lamptey wrestles Gibbs-White to the floor!
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:59Gibbs-White wins a corner on the right as Brighton throw bodies in the way.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:57Elanga's directness brings his second assist of the day and his eighth of the season.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:56Substitution Danilo dos Santos de Oliveira Nicolás Martín Domínguez
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:55Assist Anthony David Junior Elanga
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:53Minteh wins a corner for the away side. Despite the scoreline, the winger has still been exciting today. He loses the ball initially, but fights hard on the right byline to win it ball back and earn the set piece. This is taken by O'Riley before Forest clear.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:51Welbeck comes off briefly after the collision. It looks like, from the replays, that the back of Welbeck's head collided with the face of Milenkovic. The striker's head has been patched up. He was bleeding after that nasty coming together.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:49There's a clash in the Forest box as Welbeck and Milenkovic bang heads. Hurzeler wants a penalty but it looks purely accidental. VAR might have a look at this. The Brighton boss is booked for his protestations.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:47Frustration arrives for Brighton as a right-sided cross comes to Lamptey on the opposite flank. He tries to get it under control and drive to the byline, but with Gibbs-White trailing him, the defender inadvertently handballs it. Forest respond with a break, yet Aina's cross is an easy claim for Verbruggen.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:45Brighton look a lot more comfortable here. They're getting a lot of the ball in the second period's opening exchanges. However, Forest look resolute at the back.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:44O'Riley clips a ball over the Forest backline. Aina is caught unaware and flicks it out needlessly for a corner. Milenkovic looks to head it up before ushering the ball back to Sels with Welbeck pressuring him.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:42Brighton have four in the Forest box as a cross comes in from the left. Williams is just able to nod away from Rutter who was lurking.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:40Aina battles away on the right and wins a throw. He looks to have ripped his sleeve up in a skirmish. Forest eventually lose possession and Adingra tries to make something happen for the visitors. However, the Ivorian's shot from the edge of the box is just wide and high of the top-right corner.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:38We're back in action at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:36Hinshelwood's stint in the middle comes to an end at the break, as he is replaced by Matt O'Riley in the first of three changes for the Seagulls.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:36Substitution Kaoru Mitoma Simon Kofi Adingra
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:36Substitution João Pedro Junqueira de Jesus Diego Alexander Gómez Amarilla
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:33Forest have been devastating today, exceeding their 0.97 xG with brilliant efficiency. On the other hand, Brighton have operated around a 0.60 xG and have found their best chances arrive through Welbeck and Minteh so far. Welbeck, particularly, has shown he still has it at 34, yet could only watch as an inspired Sels tipped his effort onto the underside of the bar and down off the goalline. Currently, Forest have a 95.9% chance of victory, according to Opta's probabilities. A draw sits at 3.4%, while a Brighton win holds a mere 0.7% chance. Can the Seagulls get over their own slim margins to resent more of a contest in the second half? Or will Forest add to their tally? It's sure to be an enthralling watch, whatever takes shape.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:28A thrilling first 45 minutes comes to a close on the banks of the River Trent with Nottingham Forest leading Brighton by an impressive 3-0 score. The pace and energy in this fixture have been infectious so far, yet despite the fluidity and presence of Forest's front line, it was actually a Brighton player who gave the home side the lead. Gibbs-White put in a tempting ball from the right after being played in by Danilo in the 12th minute, and Dunk couldn't get his bearings - diverting the ball past Verbruggen with a lunging leg. Forest's second goal came in the 25th minute. Minteh's last-ditch tackle on Wood gave the hosts a corner. This was whipped in brilliantly by Elanga and Gibbs-White obliged with a front-post dash to nod in emphatically. Looking to land more sucker punches in this exciting melee, Forest made it 3-0 just after the half-hour mark. Elanga grabbed his second assist of the day as he hung up a sumptuous ball for Wood to nod down for his 15th goal of the season.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:21HALF-TIME: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 3-0 BRIGHTON
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:20Pedro wins a corner on the left for Brighton after Aina scrambles to put his body between the ball and the Brazilian. The corner and its second delivery are both dealt with by the hosts before Anderson is fouled by Veltman.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:19Williams wins a free-kick on the far touchline. Gibbs-White gets it short and looks to cut in a cute ball for Elanga but it's just over-hit. Goal-kick.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:18There will be four minutes of added time.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:17For Forest, today's three-goal flurry is the second-quickest (32 minutes) since December 1994 against Ipswich (27 minutes).
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:15Welbeck rises for a header in the Forest box, yet Sels can claim easily as the forward can't connect.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:13Brighton have an unsuccessful corner from the right. That's been a major difference between them and their hosts today. That said, Brighton aren't playing like a side that are 3-0 down. There's still this directness, it's just translated to set pieces.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:11Sels! What a save! Welbeck pings an effort on the Forest goal and Sels flies over and tips the ball onto the underside of the bar with a strong left hand! Hooper checks his watch for the goal-line technology but it doesn't signal anything for Brighton to cheer about!
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:10Interestingly, with his fine header today, Brighton become the first side that Chris Wood has scored 10 league goals against in English football. The Kiwi's 15 league goals this term are the best return of his Premier League career.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:09Minteh is looking the most dangerous for Brighton. Mitoma crosses from the left byline as the Seagulls fly on. The Gambian volleys down into the turf and forces Sels to leap over to his right post and claim.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:08Only Ian Woan (27), Morgan Gibbs-White (22), and Steve Stone (16) have assisted more Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest than Anthony Elanga (15).
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:03Assist Anthony David Junior Elanga
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:03The right-sided corner comes in and is flicked on again by Gibbs-White. The men in yellow then throw bodies forward and a cross from Mitoma is blocked. It comes out to Lamptey... The defender curls high and wide.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
13:01Williams hits the post! The masked wing-back is forward on the left and is found brilliantly before cutting back along the edge of the box. He powers one low and it hits the base of the right post! In the next phase, Brighton continue under the cosh as Wood smashes one on target and forces Verbruggen to tip over athletically!
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:59Minteh! The pacey winger is slotted in on the right and fires... but Sels blocks brilliantly! That's a massive save to stop the visitors from finding a route back in!
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:57Goal Morgan Anthony Gibbs-White
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:56Wood is in but Minteh tackles heroically! Gibbs-White lifts a delicate ball through for the Kiwi hitman and he sits down Van Hecke before looking to pull the trigger. The Gambian pokes it away just in time!
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:55Elanga tangles with Hinshelwood and the crowd grow restless at the lack of a free-kick. Rutter comes forward for the visitors before being ushered out for a goal-kick by Murillo. The Brazilian then tries to amp up the home fans. it doesn't take much.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:54Forest's free-kick from deep in the middle comes to nothing as Gibbs-White can't get the ball down and Brighton clear. Veltman is eventually sent backwards high on the right.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:52Yellow Card Jack Luca Hinshelwood
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:51Elanga! At one end, Rutter surges forward before just seeing his pass to Mitoma intercepted. Forest break and Elanga cuts back inside from the left to flash a low, whizzing effort past thebase of the right post!
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:49Gibbs-White shows great tenacity to beat his man just inside the Brighton half. The ball then looks to roll away from him, but he slides in on Mitoma with brilliant precision. It's no wonder the home faithful hold the industrious midfielder in such high regard.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:48A statistic for Dunk to forget... Only Richard Dunne (10) has more own goals in Premier League history than the Brighton captain (seven). As this commentator types that out, Hinshelwood fires on goal but it's blocked.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:46The noise at the City Ground is immense. They don't care who it's gone in off. The Tricky Trees have a record of W12, D5, L1 when scoring the opening goal in the Premier League this term.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:43Own goal Lewis Carl Dunk
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:42We've had a brief lull in intensity here. Forest are seemingly recharging their batteries as Brighton just move the ball around and dictate the tempo.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:40There's been a great pace to this game so far, although we're still looking for this first flash point. Who will blink first?
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:39Williams and Elanga cause some trouble on the left until Brighton quell the danger. After the Seagulls flow up the pitch and lose possession, Elanga threatens to spark a counter on the left wing but there are enough yellow shirts back.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:38Yellow Card Murillo Santiago Costa dos Santos
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:35A bit of a frantic start settles with a Brighton attack. Pedro breaches the Forest box and shoots, yet Milenkovic is savvy to the danger and blocks brilliantly. Forest then look to counter, but it comes to nothing.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:33Both of these sides have their eyes on European qualification. Similarly, both sides are looking for redemption after stinging losses last time out.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:33And we're off! The atmosphere is electric in Nottingham.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:31Hooper meets with the captains and now it looks like the hosts will get us underway.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:30Today's referee at the City Ground is Simon Hooper. He enters for his 20th game in all competitions, with his last outing coming with Chelsea's 3-1 win over Wolves. He leads the players out of the tunnel to a great reception, as both sets of fans known the permutations of this one. It's third versus ninth in front of a full house on the bank of the River Trent.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:11Fabian Hurzeler makes three changes to the Brighton team that started the 1-0 defeat at home to Everton last Saturday. Yankuba Minteh replaces Brajan Gruda after being left out of Albion's starting line-up last weekend because he was late for a pre-match meeting, while Jack Hinshelwood starts for the first time since November after recovering from a knee injury. Georginio Rutter also comes in, but there is no Carlos Baleba or Yasin Ayari for the Seagulls.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:11Nuno Espirito Santo makes two changes to the Nottingham Forest side that started last weekend’s heavy defeat at Bournemouth. Danilo starts for the first time since suffering a broken ankle against the Cherries on the opening day of the season, while Morato also comes into the team. Ryan Yates and Jota Silva drop to the bench, while fit-again Ibrahim Sangare is also among the substitutes.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:11SUBS: Carl Rushworth, Adam Webster, Ruairi McConville, Brajan Gruda, Diego Gomez, Joe Knight, Matthew O'Riley, Evan Ferguson, Simon Adingra.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:11BRIGHTON (4-1-4-1): Bart Verbruggen; Joel Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Tariq Lamptey; Jack Hinshelwood; Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter, Joao Pedro, Kaoru Mitoma; Danny Welbeck.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:06SUBS: Carlos Miguel, Alex Moreno, Willy Boly, Ibrahim Sangare, Nicolas Dominguez, Ryan Yates, Jota Silva, Ramon Sosa, Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:06NOTTINGHAM FOREST (3-4-1-2): Matz Sels; Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato; Ola Aina, Elliot Anderson, Danilo, Neco Williams; Morgan Gibbs-White; Anthony Elanga, Chris Wood.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:06Following a brutal defeat away at Bournemouth, a humbled Nottingham Forest look to return to form against Brighton today. Nuno Espirito Santo's men were swept aside 5-0 by a brilliant Cherries side in gameweek 23, while their visitors also came out on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline at home to David Moyes's Everton. Bringing Champions League football to the City Ground would be a magical feat for the Tricky Trees, whose thrashing in gameweek 23 ended their nine-match unbeaten run across all competitions. Also reeling from having a lengthy unbeaten run of their own ended, the Seagulls set out to make it eight games in all competitions without defeat when Everton arrived at the Amex, but the contest ended in frustration and flared tempers for Fabian Hurzeler's men. Today’s venue was the location of an engrossing 3-2 win for Brighton last term, although Forest managed to travel home from the South Coast with a point from September's fiery 2-2 draw.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:06Hello everyone, and welcome to live text coverage of the early kick-off in the Premier League's 24th matchday. Nottingham Forest welcome Brighton to the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
12:00Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion
10:30Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
