Wolves 0-3 Nottingham Forest: Morgan Gibbs-White strikes against his former side at Molineux - as Nuno Espirito Santo's side pick up SIXTH league win in a row

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They couldn’t, could they? Fifty years after Brian Clough walked into the City Ground and changed this club for good, Nottingham Forest are dreaming of something that would have made their greatest manager proud beyond words.

If Nuno Espirito Santo’s side record their seventh straight league win when they take on Liverpool at the City Ground on January 14, they will move to within three points of Arne Slot’s leaders. Pull off a double against the Reds and suddenly anything will appear possible.

Those who scoff at Forest’s title chances should remember two words: Leicester City. Everybody thought Claudio Ranieri’s team would fail to stay the course in 2016 and instead they wrote the greatest Premier League story ever told. Perhaps until now.

Clough brought the European Cup to Forest in 1979 and 1980 and goalscorer Morgan Gibbs-White showed a keen grasp of history when asked about returning to that competition.

‘It would be absolutely incredible,’ he said. ‘There will be a few fans who might be able to experience it twice. To be able to give them that opportunity again is what we really want to do as a club. The owner (Evangelos Marinakis) believes in it, we believe in it. We just have to stay calm and humble.’

From his seat in the stand, England boss Thomas Tuchel would have looked at this Forest team and struggled to see a weakness.

Morgan Gibbs-White needed just seven minutes to silence the jeering crowd at Wolves

The midfielder provided a neat finish to open the scoring in Nottingham Forest's 2-0 win

Nuno Espirito Santo's side remain third in the table and are level on points with Arsenal

In Matz Sels, they have one of the league’s best goalkeepers, and Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo are probably its strongest centre-back pairing. Midfielders Elliot Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez have technique and athleticism, Gibbs-White is an excellent playmaker and they have speedsters Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the wings. Not to mention Chris Wood, a centre-forward in the form of his life.

True to form, Nuno sidestepped the question about the title race. ‘We play Luton on Saturday in the FA Cup and that competition is huge for us,’ he said. ‘Sorry not to answer the direct question but this is the reality. As for the league table, I’ll take a look at the end of the season.’

No wonder Nuno is reluctant to change much during the January transfer window for fear of disrupting the rock-solid team spirit he has taken so much care to build.

Forest are also enjoying the quality no ambitious team can be without – luck. Revived under Vitor Pereira, Wolves played well here and deserved more, especially in the first half. but they found Sels inspired and Jorgen Strand Larsen unusually hesitant in front of goal.

When you create chances against this supremely organised Forest side, you had better take them. Wolves were duly punished by first-half goals from Gibbs-White – berated once more on his return to this stadium – and Wood, while substitute Taiwo Awoniyi added a third late on. The home side could not match that clinical edge and that is why they are above the bottom three on goal difference alone

Forest fans belted out a song about the Champions League and their optimism was justified as their team took an early lead, exploiting a makeshift Wolves back three that featured two orthodox full-backs in Matt Doherty and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Wolves were also missing key attacker Matheus Cunha due to suspension.

There has been plenty of needle between Wolves and Gibbs-White ever since the playmaker left Molineux for Forest in summer 2022 but some of the chants aimed at the 24-year-old in the opening stages were particularly grim.

After a Wolves move broke down, Gibbs-White glided forward and swapped passes with Anthony Elanga before firing home from 12 yards via a deflection off Doherty. Gibbs-White jogged towards the South Bank and stared them down, performing his customary fingers-in-ears celebration.

Chris Wood (right) found a second just before half-time for the visitors on the night

The 33-year-old provided a left-footed finish on the stroke of half-time to double their lead

The defeat was the first one under Vitor Pereira for Wolves, who now sit 17th in the table 

The goal seemed to be exactly the shake-up Vitor Pereira’s team needed. Murillo made a decisive intervention just as Jorgen Strand Larsen prepared to turn in the equaliser and Sels saved Rodrigo Gomes’ volley brilliantly. Then Rodrigo delivered a perfect cross for Strand Larsen but he headed straight at Sels with the whole goal to aim at.

It is difficult to imagine Wood missing a chance like that and Forest’s top scorer showed his ruthlessness again a minute before half-time. Hudson-Odoi tore past Doherty and cut the ball back. A prod of Wood’s left boot did the rest.

In the second half Milenkovic and Murillo swept up everything and Wolves were frustrated again when Strand Larsen denied again by Sels. Then Awoniyi made it the perfect evening for Forest with the third in stoppage time.

Could they? You had better believe it.