Forest went into this Trentside clash with the chance to move five points clear of the dropzone – something widely expected given Burnley’s plight.
However, to say the opening 20 minutes were a non-event would be something of an understatement, as not a single shot was fired in before the 25th minute, when James Ward-Prowse went for goal with a 30-yard free-kick.
His free-kick bounced just in front of Matz Sels and forced him to turn the ball away to safety, but aside from that, precious little happened.
Despite not lacking an incentive to take the game to Burnley, the hosts were left with a potential mountain to climb after the break, as Scott Parker’s men hit them with a sucker punch on the stroke of half-time.
After a ball fell kindly in the middle of the pitch, a quick Burnley move saw Quilindschy Hartman cut the ball back for top scorer Zian Flemming to sweep home his ninth league goal of the season.
A huge chance of an equaliser presented itself within 10 minutes of the restart, when substitute Igor Jesus saw his deflected effort fall perfectly to the unmarked Morgan Gibbs-White, but he could only fluff an effort wide of the target.
The Forest talisman soon atoned for his error, ghosting in around the back to latch on to a hopeful cross into the box that Ward-Prowse headed perfectly into his path and taking one touch to steady himself before finding the bottom corner with his second.
The comeback was complete only six minutes later, and it was that man Gibbs-White again, ghosting in around the back once more to volley home Omari Hutchinson’s inch-perfect delivery.
It was always set to be a nervy ending for the Trick Trees, but Gibbs-White produced a sumptuous header from the penalty spot 12 minutes from time to complete his hat-trick and secure Forest three huge points in their battle to beat the drop as they now boast a healthy cushion to the drop zone.
Jesus added a fourth in the last seconds of the game, which moves Burnley to the brink of relegation, which could be confirmed as soon as Wednesday night.