Bruno Guimaraes nets brace in Newcastle United win over Nottingham Forest

Forest twice fought back to leave the scores level at the break, but Guimaraes' second of the match in the 66th minute proved to be enough to hand the visitors all three points.

The result has moved Newcastle into seventh in the table, two points behind sixth-placed Manchester United, while Forest stay 16th, just two points outside of the relegation zone.

Forest had a golden chance to take the lead in the fifth minute when Nuno Tavares broke into a wide area before delivering a perfect cross into Morgan Gibbs-White, but his effort was just wide of the post.

Newcastle's first opening came in the eighth minute, with Sean Longstaff, who had been allowed to advance towards the Forest box, looking to pick out the bottom corner, but Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was on hand to make a smart save.

The Magpies made the breakthrough two minutes later, though, with Guimaraes brilliantly volleying a delivery from Kieran Trippier into the back of the net from a wide angle.

Forest had a chance to level in the 17th minute when Anthony Elanga's pace took him beyond Dan Burn and into the Newcastle box, but his effort was kept out by Magpies goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

Elanga had a second opportunity in the 27th minute, and this time the former Manchester United attacker took it, racing onto a pass from Gibbs-White before finding the back of the net with a composed finish.

There was not anything particularly complex about the Forest game-plan, with their defenders and midfielders looking to deliver the ball behind the Newcastle defence when possible, as Elanga's pace continued to cause the away side's back-line plenty of problems.

Newcastle managed to restore their lead shortly before the interval, with Fabian Schar expertly picking out the bottom corner with a first-time finish after meeting a header from Sven Botman inside the Forest box.

Forest continued to press players forward, though, and it was 2-2 in first-half stoppage time, with Callum Hudson-Odoi's effort from outside the box deflected past Dubravka.

The home side again had the ball in the back of the Newcastle net early in the second period, but Taiwo Awoniyi's effort was disallowed for offside.

Forest remained on the front foot, with Tavares firing over the crossbar in the 54th minute, before the hosts had a penalty appeal turned down just past the hour, with Awoniyi falling inside the box under a challenge from Botman and then Dubravka.

Anthony Gordon sent one over the Forest crossbar in the 65th minute, with Newcastle having a rare venture forward in the second half.

The Magpies managed to take the lead once again in the 66th minute, with Guimaraes picking out the bottom corner from the edge of the box after some lacklustre defending from the home side.

Divock Origi had a strike deflected over the crossbar in the 75th minute, with Forest looking to level once again, and Newcastle were far from secure from a defensive point of view.

Eddie Howe's side managed to resist the late pressure to hold on for all three points, though, and the result has moved them 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the table.