There might be a few tongues in cheeks when the Nottingham Forest supporters unite as one to chant “We’re going to win the league” but it shows how well things are going at the City Ground. Victory over West Ham means Forest have won three consecutive Premier League games for the first time in more than a quarter of a century and moved them into third in the table.
It does not seem to matter that the head coach Nuno Espírito Santo is banned from the touchline and the owner Evangelos Marinakis not even allowed in the stadium. Forest have the second best defence in the league, having conceded seven times, and the second most prolific striker in Chris Wood, who along with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina settled the match against a West Ham team who had to play for more than a half with 10 men after Edson Álvarez was dismissed.
The first quarter passed without incident but it was clear Forest were the better side. Their speed of thought and movement far superior to the visitors and the opener was deserved when Álex Moreno made a clever run beyond the defence and collected a Nicolás Domínguez pass before chipping to Wood to head home from six yards. Despite West Ham playing three centre-backs, no one took responsibility to mark the striker who has eight goals in 10 games.
West Ham’s first half was summed up in injury-time, having failed to have a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, Lucas Paquetá saw his attempt from the edge of the box cleared off the line by Wood. Forest cleared the resulting corner and broke down the right through Anthony Elanga whose run was curtailed by a late tackle from Álvarez, who was given his second booking. The Mexican then wandered down the touchline and past the tunnel, much to the home supporters’ amusement, until he was eventually forced to sheepishly turn back for a few extra seconds of goading.
This is not solely the story of a strong starting XI, there is quality running throughout the Forest squad. When Nuno wanted to add freshness, he sent on Jota Silva and Elliot Anderson to increase the pressure on a tiring West Ham. Within seconds, Anderson had bamboozled Jean-Clair Tobido to win a free-kick on the edge of the box. The former Newcastle man took it short to Hudson-Odoi who performed his trademark trick of curling the ball from the left-hand side of the box into the far corner.
If the home fans thought things could not get better, they were pleasantly surprised when Aina cut in from the right and managed to whack a bouncing ball into the top corner from 20 yards. The Nigerian arrived on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 and has played all over the pitch but like everyone else in red, looks incredibly comfortable within Nuno’s framework.
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Forest only stayed up on the final day of last season and have already surpassed half the total of points they earned in 2023-24. They are reaping the rewards of patience and an impressive recruitment model. Forest are in dreamland, it might not last for ever but everyone on this side of the Trent is rightly enjoying every moment.
