Having fallen to a heavy defeat at Bournemouth last time out, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo labelled the result “a warning for everybody”.
Determined to bounce back with a positive display, the Tricky Trees made the perfect start against Brighton, taking the lead in the 12th minute when Morgan Gibbs-White’s low delivery was diverted into his own net by Lewis Dunk.
Armed with the momentum, Forest soon doubled their advantage, with Gibbs-White once again involved, this time glancing Anthony Elanga’s corner beyond Bart Verbruggen at the near post.
The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down, and after Neco Williams and Chris Wood both went close for the hosts, the talismanic New Zealander duly added a third for his side, heading home from Elanga’s brilliant delivery.
Faced with a daunting three-goal deficit, Brighton came within inches of pulling a goal back before half-time, only for Danny Welbeck’s powerful drive to be tipped onto the underside of the bar by Matz Sels.
The visitors continued to see plenty of the ball in the early stages of the second half but clear-cut chances came at a premium for Fabian Hurzeler’s men.
There was no such issue for Forest, however, with Elanga racing to the byline to set up a simple close-range finish for Wood - the hosts’ fourth of the afternoon.
Things went from bad to worse for Brighton just six minutes later when Tariq Lamptey hauled Gibbs-White down in the box, allowing Wood to seal his hat-trick from the spot and move up to 17 Premier League goals for the season.
It was a case of damage limitation for the visitors heading into the final 20 minutes but Forest continued to attack at will, adding two late goals through Williams’ clinical finish in the six-yard box and Jota Silva’s first-ever Premier League strike - rounding off a dream afternoon for the hosts.
Forest extend their impressive league form on home soil to seven wins from their last nine matches, while Brighton suffer their heaviest league defeat since 1958.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)