Nottingham Forest leapfrogged West Brom into the Coca-Cola Championship automatic promotion places courtesy of a superb performance in which they outclassed their opponents in almost every department.

The result takes Forest’s unbeaten run to 18 games and is a true testament to the work done by Billy Davies in the 12 months since his appointment, when the Reds sat just one place above the drop zone.

Dexter Blackstock volleyed the visitors into the lead after 18 minutes and although Albion were well below par, Forest displayed their true promotion credentials to send a clear warning to their rivals for a Premier League ticket.

Radoslaw Malewski volleyed home a contender for goal of the season before Chris Cohen struck from the edge of the area to put Forest into a 3-0 lead by the 64th minute.

And although substitute Roman Bednar netted a consolation for the Baggies – the first goal Forest had conceded in almost nine hours of football – it was the East Midlands outfit who deservedly took the spoils.

Albion staff worked wonders ensuring the eagerly-anticipated encounter got the go-ahead as the wintry conditions played havoc with the rest of Britain’s sporting calendar.

And the first 15 minutes promised plenty as snow started to fall, Forest looking the more likely.

And after Blackstock won a corner in a tussle with Jonas Olsson, he then managed to break free of Albion new boy Gabriel Tamas before volleying in off the near post from eight yards.

The Baggies were guilty of going long and losing possession far too often and, as the half-time whistle blew, it was Davies’ side who were well in control as the boos rang out from home fans.

West Brom head coach Roberto Di Matteo introduced Bednar in place of the ineffective Luke Moore at the interval to try and spark a response.

But his side had a mountain to climb they could not scale, Forest maintaining their unbeaten away record in the league this season and striking a psychological blow on their rivals.

Di Matteo said: “It’s probably been the worst performance this season.

“We didn’t play, which is very unusual for us. There were quite a lot of players that didn’t perform to the level we know they can

“It’s a bad defeat against Forest – but credit to them they played well.”