IF the rest of the season is going to be like this, the City Ground may start to rival Walford and Weatherfield as England's drama capital.
Nottingham Forest fans experienced every emotion going, as they went from joy, to disbelief and despair, before relief took over by the final whistle, as they somehow emerged from an end-to-end clash with Fulham on the right end of a 5-3 scoreline.
In the dressing room after the game, even Brian Clough might have been lost for words, after seeing the Reds go from being 2-0 up to falling 3-2 behind – before then scoring three further goals to give the scoreline a look of comfort that their performance did not always merit.
Britt Assombalonga continues to look like a snip, even at £5.5m, after his hat-trick, coupled with goals from Michail Antonio and Jamie Paterson, helped Forest secure a place back at the summit of the Championship table – while leaving the future of Fulham boss Felix Magath in doubt.
For the first time this season, Pearce's team selection was significantly influenced by injuries, with four players ruled out. The most significant was skipper Chris Cohen, who is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with another knee injury, but Forest were also missing Andy Reid and Matty Fryatt with groin problems, while Jack Hobbs succumbed to a problem with his ankle/foot.
Danny Fox was drafted into the centre of defence alongside Michael Mancienne ahead of Kelvin Wilson and Jamaal Lascelles, who were both on the bench. In midfield, it was Robert Tesche and Ben Osborn, who had both done steady job when coming off the bench against Derby, who were handed places in the starting line-up, amid three changes.
Karl Darlow was tested twice in the first five minutes by the same player, as Tim Hoogland pushed forward down the right flank, with some purpose. The German forced a good stop from the keeper with a rising shot, following some good interplay on the edge of the box – but Darlow struggled a little with a second effort from the Fulham man two minutes later, when he let fly from further out, with the shot stopper having to react quickly to stop the loose ball from slipping between his legs.
Having come close to being the hero for Fulham, a slip from Hoogland then played a part in Forest's opening goal, which came from a familiar face. After Michail Antonio had been fouled on the left side.
Henri Lansbury stepped up to take the free kick, firing it in with pace, towards the near post, where Assombalonga was arriving unmarked, after Hoogland appeared to lose his footing, to force the ball into the net.
Fulham were playing with two full backs, in Hoogland and Konstantionos Stafylidis, playing in wide midfield positions, within a 4-4-2 formation, presumably in an effort to stifle Forest's threat down the flanks. But it was a tactic that wasn't working, with Antonio and Burke still causing havoc whenever they got on the ball – and it was the former Sheffield Wednesday man who was at the centre of things, as the home side doubled their advantage.
A huge gulf suddenly appeared in the Fulham defence as Antonio embarked on a driving run and into the box and, to his credit, it had seemed that Shaun Hutchinson had done well, when he made up a lot of ground, across the box, to slide in and take the ball off the winger's toes. It was a robust challenge, but also a fairly clean one – yet referee Darren Deadman pointed to the penalty spot.
It seemed a generous decision but Assombalonga was in no mood for sympathy, firing the penalty low to keeper Gabor Kiraly's right, to make it 2-0 in the 21st minute. The striker did demonstrate some empathy in his celebration, however, when he ran to the bench to collect a 'No.8 Cohen' shirt from the dugout, which he held aloft in tribute to his injured skipper.
Forest fans were in buoyant mood and they all rose as one to pay tribute to Clough, with a round of applause for the legendary manager, with the anniversary of his death coming this weekend. The atmosphere was dampened slightly when previously toothless Fulham pulled a goal back, with Ross McCormack curling in a delightful free kick, after Stafylidis won a slightly soft looking free kick following a challenge from Hunt, 22 yards out.
Assombalonga almost had a first half hat-trick when he sent a glancing header just wide of the post. But Fulham might have clawed themselves level when Hugo Rodallega chased onto a long ball, into the penalty area. Darlow had committed himself and, after the forward had rounded him, it required a goal line clearance from Eric Lichaj to prevent an equaliser.
Forest had an escape within a few seconds of the second half starting as Rodallega seemed to have been pulled back on the edge of the box by Fox, as he threatened to chase through on goal – but Deadman was not convinced, despite the furious protests of most of the Fulham team.
Mark Fotheringham could have few complaints when he was booked for a late, lunging tackle on Antonio and the Cottagers almost paid a bigger price, with Fox perilously close to connecting with Lansbury's resulting free kick.
But it was to be the visitors who scored again, as Stafylidis whipped in a cross from the left to pick out the unmarked Rodallega at the far post, where he side-footed home from eight yards, to level the scores in the 51st minute.
Forest had lost all the momentum and drive they had during the first period, instead, it was Fulham who were finding their feet in the game – and it was no surprise when they took the lead, with McCormack benefiting from a deflection as he squeezed the ball home at the far post, after Forest had lost possession in midfield.
McCormack might have had another when he bent a fine effort narrowly wide as Fulham hit on the break again.
But the drama was just beginning, with Antonio making it 3-3 as he collected a fine, lofted pass from Mancienne, before sliding a shot across goal and into the far corner, from just inside the box.
That goal came in the 77th minute and, two minutes later, Forest were ahead again as Assombalonga provided another rapier demonstration of his white-hot form. His header had bounced back off the post, after he had attacked a cross from Hunt, but he reacted with bullishness and determination to force the rebound over the line at the far post.
Still the drama was not finished, with substitute Paterson making it 5-3 in the 89th minute, twisting and turning in the box before beating the shell-shocked Kiraly.
Forest: Darlow, Hunt, Mancienne, Fox, Lichaj (WIlson 56), Tesche (Lascelles 90), Osborn (Paterson 69), Burke, Lansbury, Antonio, Assombalonga. Subs: de Vries, Veldwijk, Vaughan, McLaughlin.
Fulham: Kiraly, Hoogland, Stafylidis, Hutchinson (David 45), Amorebieta, Boduruv, Parker, Rodallega, Fotheringham (Roberts 81), Burn, McCormack. Subs: Bettinelli, Eisfeld, Williams, Hyndman, Kavanagh.
Referee: Darren Deadman
Man of match: Britt Assombalonga. Michail Antonio was an outstanding, unstoppable figure down the flank, but it was Assombalonga who took the plaudits with a superb hat-trick.
MAJOR BLOW: Forest confirmed after the game that skipper Chris Cohen has damaged his cruciate ligaments in his knee for a third time.
Assistant manager Steve Wigley said: "If there is one thing I am certain of, it is that Chris will bounce back. It is hard to put into words how bad we all feel for him, because he is such a good professional.
"But he has bounced back from this before and he will do so again."
![Nottingham Forest 5 Fulham 3: Match report]( "Nottingham Forest 5 Fulham 3: Match report")
