
West Ham stunned Nottingham Forest with three goals in seven minutes to win 3-0 at the City Ground and collect their first Premier League win of the season on Super Sunday.
Graham Potter’s side had lost both games and shipped eight goals before their trip to the City Ground, but looked to be heading for their first point after a stellar defensive display kept Forest at bay.
But it got so much better in the late stages, as captain Jarrod Bowen put them ahead after 84 minutes, Lucas Paqueta rolled home a penalty after 88 and Callum Wilson scored his first goal for the club after 91.
It was the second latest into a match that a team have gone 1-0 up in a Premier League game and ended up winning by 3+ goals (84th minute), after Manchester United vs Everton in October 2002 (86th minute).
Notably, Paqueta – who has been linked with a move to Aston Villa before Deadline Day – kissed the West Ham badge as he celebrated.
Wary of the pressure that two defeats from the opening two had brought, Graham Potter switched from a back five to a back four at the City Ground and, barring a couple of flashes from Dan Ndoye, it helped to keep Forest at bay.
In fact, the hosts were unable to register a shot on target in a 45 minutes that witnessed the fewest shots (4) and lowest xG (0.28) in the first half of a Premier League match so far this season.
West Ham had the only shot on target in the first half, when debutant Mateus Fernandes teed up Paqueta who forced Matz Sels into an acrobatic fingertip save. Otherwise, the Hammers’ approach was seemingly to take as few risks as possible.
The game came to life after the break, and though both teams had chances, Forest started to pin their opponents back. But spells of pressure were not capitalised on and West Ham fired a warning shot when Wilson’s deflected shot was tipped over brilliantly by Sels.
With six minutes of the 90 to play they made the breakthrough when Bowen expertly steered substitute Crysencio Summerville’s ball over the line and they doubled the lead when Paqueta stuttered his run-up and rolled in a penalty after Sangare had fouled Summerville.
The Hammers even managed what was a deserved third, as El Hadji Diouf Malick lifted the ball perfectly for Wilson to head into the turf and beyond Sels.
Story of the match in stats…
What’s coming up in the Premier League?
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