For 84 minutes at the City Ground, it looked like Nottingham Forest and West Ham were heading for a stalemate. But football has a way of flipping the script, and three late goals turned the tide as Graham Potter’s Hammers stunned Forest 3-0, Softfootball reports.
Forest started brightly, pushing to make it back-to-back home wins for the first time since 1985. They controlled much of the first half, but for all their possession, they never really troubled the new signing Mads Hermansen in goal.
Their best chance fell to Lucas Paquetá just before halftime, the Brazilian connecting sweetly with Mateus Fernandes’ cross, only for Mats Sels to keep it out with a fine stop. That moment, Softfootball understands, was as close as either side came in a cagey opening 45 minutes.
The second half opened up. Chris Wood’s header at one end was easily gathered, while Jarrod Bowen teed up Paquetá at the other, only for the midfielder to drag wide. As the rain came down, Forest’s intensity grew, but West Ham began to find gaps. Callum Wilson tested Sels with a deflected effort, and Niclas Füllkrug forced another sharp save. The warning signs were there.
With the breakthrough for westham in the 84th minute, it was worth the wait. Bowen swivelled and buried a sharp finish to put West Ham ahead. Moments later, Paquetá made it two from the penalty spot after substitute Crysencio Summerville was tripped by Ibrahim Sangaré. And with Forest reeling, Wilson sealed it in stoppage time, heading home El Hadji Malick Diouf’s cross to spark wild celebrations in the away end.
West ham took to their official X handle to show the players reaction after getting their first victory of the new season, watch below;
For Forest, it was a harsh end to what had been a promising performance, cutting short their three-game winning run against the Hammers. For West Ham, though, it felt like the start of something a gritty, clinical win that showed Potter’s men are beginning to click.
