In the latest edition of The Debrief, a Sky Sports column that combines data analysis and expert opinion, Adam Bate examines the key stories from recent Premier League matches. This week's focus is on Morgan Gibbs-White, the Nottingham Forest player who has scored the most Premier League goals in 2026. With seven goals since the start of March, Gibbs-White has been in exceptional form, leading his team away from the relegation zone and potentially earning himself a spot in the World Cup.
His transformation under Vitor Pereira has been remarkable, with the player benefiting from a more forward role and encouragement to make trademark driving runs. According to Opta, Gibbs-White is making more of these runs than under any previous Forest manager since joining the club in 2022.
The player's expected-goals tally under Pereira is also at an all-time high, more than double what it was under Steve Cooper. The tactical tweak that helped Gibbs-White find more space was the introduction of Igor Jesus at half-time against Burnley, which allowed him to drift in from the left and find more opportunities to score. Pereira praised Gibbs-White's understanding of the game and his willingness to take responsibility, saying, 'He wants the ball, he wants the responsibility.
He wants to score goals, he wants to assist.' The importance of Ibrahim Sangare in unlocking Gibbs-White's form should not be underestimated. Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Sangare has been a defensive colossus, and Forest appear to be a different team with him in the lineup. They have won just one of the 10 Premier League games this season in which Sangare has not started, but have 34 points from 24 games with him in the team.
Finding the right structure has been crucial for Forest, and Gibbs-White has taken advantage of the opportunities presented to him. In other news, Antonin Kinsky was crucial in Tottenham's win at Wolves, making a stoppage-time save to secure Spurs' first Premier League win of 2026. Kinsky's performance was a redemption of sorts after his humiliating experience in the Champions League away to Atletico Madrid.
Robert De Zerbi praised Kinsky, saying, 'He deserves this day, because he played very well.' Kinsky's distribution with the ball at his feet is regarded as a strength, and he showed decisiveness in coming off his line to beat Adam Armstrong to the ball. Tottenham will need Kinsky if they are to escape relegation. Meanwhile, Tomas Soucek opened the scoring in West Ham's 2-1 win over Everton and produced a spectacular goal-line clearance to secure the three points.
Soucek has now scored 41 Premier League goals for West Ham, a testament to his longevity and rare gift for engineering space inside the penalty box. Nuno Espirito Santo has praised Soucek's ability to recognize space, saying, 'He recognises the space.' Soucek has been instrumental in turning around West Ham's fortunes alongside Mateus Fernandes, and his team now ranks sixth in the table since mid-January.