Burnley 1-2 Nottingham Forest: Chris Wood double guarantees Premier League safety

Chris Wood's first-half double made Nottingham Forest's Premier League status certain with a 2-1 final-day victory over already-relegated Burnley.

Forest travelled to Turf Moor with the chance - albeit slim - of them joining Burnley in the Championship still on the table.

A Luton victory and a 12-goal swing would have sent Forest down, but Wood - Burnley's record scorer in the Premier League - haunted his former club with two goals in the opening 15 minutes to allay any lingering relegation fears.

Wood turned in Anthony Elanga's cross inside two minutes and doubled his tally just before the quarter-hour mark when VAR ruled he deflected Ryan Yates' shot past Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric from an onside position.

Josh Cullen's deflected strike halved the deficit with 18 minutes to play but it failed to inspire a late comeback as Burnley bowed out of the Premier League having suffered their 24th defeat of the season.

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Forest officially safe after Wood double

Burnley had won just two home matches all season and their hopes of signing off from the top-flight with a win before returning to the Championship were dashed by their former striker.

Wood needed just 76 seconds to break the deadlock, hammering in Elanga's cross after the winger had driven superbly past Burnley defender Charlie Taylor.

It ended a five-game goal drought for the New Zealand international, who soon added a second when he prodded Forest captain Ryan Yates' wayward shot into the Burnley net. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but a lengthy VAR check ruled in Wood's favour.

Burnley showed plenty of promise but, similarly to their season, lacked substance in attacking areas, with Zeki Amdouni spurning two chances to reduce the arrears before the interval.

Vincent Kompany brought Johann Berg Gudmundsson on for his final Burnley appearance at half-time but the second half continued in the same manner, with Wood denied a headed third by Muric within seconds of the restart.

Morgan Gibbs-White forced a fine, fingertip save from Muric as Forest continued to dominate the second period before Burnley grabbed a lifeline with 18 minutes to play.

Cullen's shot deflected off Murillo past wrong-footed Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels, but it failed to inspire a late Burnley comeback, with Wilson Odobert blazing wide late on as Forest held on.

Opta stats

• Nottingham Forest have confirmed their Premier League status, with next season being their third consecutive season in the competition, making it only the second time they will have played in three straight seasons in the Premier League their first time doing so since between 1994/95 and 1996/97.
• Six of Chris Wood's Premier League goals this season have been assisted by Anthony Elanga, the most any player has assisted another in the competition this season.
• Burnley have finished the Premier League season with 24 points, their lowest ever points total in a top-flight campaign (when considering three points for a win). Burnley have also lost 24 matches, their joint-most ever in a top-flight campaign (also 24 defeats in 2009/10).
• Nottingham Forest have now won back-to-back away matches in the Premier League for the first time since April 1995 (run of four). Prior to today, Forest had played 95 top-flight away matches without recording consecutive victories on the road.

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Nuno: Time to celebrate survival

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo: "It's very important to finish on a high after a huge effort from everybody at the club - the players, the staff, the fans. A well-deserved win to finish a tough season.

"Our fans are going to see Premier League football [again], that is very important. We came with the idea to keep Forest in the Premier League, so now is the moment to celebrate it.

"It was a very tough season; everybody is aware of the things we've been through. The points deduction had an affect on the players. They needed to go again, and they did it."

Kompany eyeing Premier League return

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Burnley manager Vincent Kompany: "We conceded two shots, two goals in the opening 15 minutes. I sort of doubted whether the team was ready to go one more time, but after that we grew into the game. We got to 2-1, could have nicked the draw.

"Our focus was on trying to win the game and giving ourselves the chance to start next season in a positive way.

"It's a matter of perspective, if you look from a Premier League level, we're not quite ready yet, that's the honest truth. But if you look at it from a Championship level, it's a very exciting club that can still improve and grow. Hopefully this club will be in the Premier League again."

When does the 2024/25 Premier League season start?

The 2023/24 season has reached its conclusion but planning has already started for the new campaign.

Several Premier League sides have confirmed pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2024/25 term, which kicks off on the weekend of August 17/18, while others have given fresh kits an early airing.

The Premier League fixtures - all 380 of them - will be released at 9am on Tuesday, June 18, with full coverage on Sky Sports News and Sky Sports' digital platforms.

The new EFL season starts on the weekend of August 10/11 and marks the launch of Sky Sports+, giving more choice to sports fans via live streams and a new dedicated channel, at no extra cost. In a broadcasting first, every EFL game across all three divisions - the Championship, League One and League Two - will be streamed live on the opening weekend.

Stand by for another busy summer in the transfer window - clubs can do business from June 14 until August 30 and the Sky Sports Transfer Centre will keep you posted with all the latest news and rumours.

Euro 2024 is just weeks away, too. Keep track of England's Euro fixtures, check out the full tournament schedule in Germany and join us on skysports.com or the Sky Sports app to follow every game with our live match blogs.