Match Report | Ten-man Hammers felled at Nottingham Forest | West Ham United F.C.

Nottingham Forest secured a convincing 3-0 victory against West Ham United in a Premier League match at the City Ground on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 3 PM GMT.

The last time West Ham United celebrated a victory at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, John Major was the Prime Minister, Bill Clinton held the presidency, The Fugees topped the music charts, and Independence Day was the most popular film at the box office.

In September 1996, Britpop was hugely popular, with bands like Oasis and Blur achieving record sales in the millions. At the same time, the sports scene was led by icons such as Michael Johnson and Steffi Graf, along with powerhouse teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Manchester United.

West Ham was aiming to improve on their tenth-place finish in the Premier League from the last season, which they achieved under the guidance of manager Harry Redknapp. They finished just behind a Nottingham Forest team led by Frank Clark.

When the two teams faced off at the City Ground 28 years back, each had managed to secure only one win in their first six Premier League matches and were in desperate need of a win. The Irons came out on top, thanks to goals from defender Mark Bowen and midfielder Michael Hughes, earning the points that helped them settle comfortably in the mid-table. Meanwhile, Forest struggled to bounce back, even after bringing in club icon Stuart Pearce as player-manager halfway through the season, ultimately leading to their relegation.

Almost thirty years later, the anticipation for a victory in the top league along the River Trent continues as a revitalized Forest triumphed with a 3-0 win against the visiting Hammers.

It was truly a disastrous afternoon for Julen Lopetegui’s team, who found themselves trailing in the first half after Chris Wood, the top scorer for the Reds, scored with a header. To make matters worse, they ended up playing with ten men just before half-time when Edson Álvarez received a red card.

Callum Hudson-Odoi scored Forest's second goal halfway through the second half, and shortly after, Ola Aina delivered a remarkable long-range shot for the third goal. This left West Ham suffering their fifth loss in ten Premier League games.

In their first match of the season with five defenders, Lopetegui's team seemed to have a good grip on the game's tempo at the start, even though the opposing team struggled to create any scoring opportunities.

Forest sent a few early signals, as Anthony Elanga and Nicolás Domínguez both missed their chances, Morgan Gibbs-White hit a free-kick into the wall, and both Murillo and Wood shot inaccurately. However, the New Zealand forward, who has been performing well, managed to score by slipping between Jean-Clair Todibo and Maximilian Kilman to head in Àlex Moreno’s cross from the left.

Ryan Yates and Callum Hudson-Odoi both had their attempts to score deflected or saved, while the excited home fans urged their team on as Forest aimed to net a second goal.

West Ham only managed one shot on target in the first half, which came during added time just before the break. Wood made a great save, sliding in to block a shot from Lucas Paquetá that was heading for the goal.

Just two minutes later, West Ham's aspirations suffered a severe blow when Álvarez made an unnecessary sliding tackle on Elanga. Referee Peter Bankes issued him a second yellow card, resulting in a red card. This marked West Ham's second player dismissal in consecutive away games in the Premier League and was also Álvarez's second dismissal of the season.

During halftime, two substitutions took place: Michail Antonio came on to play against his old team, and Carlos Soler was brought into the game. Guido Rodríguez, who had received a yellow card, was taken off, along with Crysencio Summerville.

The ten players started the second half on a positive note, earning three corners in quick succession. However, the momentum soon shifted to the home team, who extended their advantage in the 65th minute. Hudson-Odoi delivered a cross-shot that deflected slightly, slipped past the diving Fabiański, and curved into the far corner of the net.

With two goals scored against them and down a player, the team now focused on minimizing the damage. Hudson-Odoi attempted a shot, while Nikola Milenković directed a header off target.

On the opposite side, Jarrod Bowen's deflected attempt and Antonio's mis-hit shot were the only chances the Hammers could create. Things took a turn for the worse 12 minutes before the final whistle when Aina took the ball from Todibo and blasted a powerful left-foot shot into the upper corner of the net.

Łukasz Fabiański pulled off some amazing late saves to prevent Milenković and Ramón Sosa from scoring a fourth goal. An offside call from the assistant referee also disallowed a strike from Yates in the meantime. Unfortunately for the traveling Claret and Blue fans, this was little comfort, as their team has now let in 13 goals over their last four away games across all competitions.

Nottingham Forest lineup: Sels, Aina, Milenković, Murillo, Moreno, Yates ©, Domínguez, Gibbs-White (substituted for Anderson at 63 minutes), Elanga (substituted for Jota Silva at 63 minutes), Hudson-Odoi (substituted for Sosa at 89 minutes), and Wood (substituted for Awoniyi at 79 minutes). Players on the bench who did not play: Carlos Miguel (goalkeeper), Williams, Toffolo, Boly, and da Silva Moreira.

Scorers: Wood at the 27th minute, Hudson-Odoi at the 65th minute, and Aina at the 78th minute.

West Ham United's lineup included: Fabiański in goal, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Kilman, and Emerson (substituted for Irving in the 79th minute). Rodríguez was replaced by Soler at halftime, while Álvarez, Paquetá, and Summerville (who was substituted for Antonio at halftime) completed the midfield and forward positions. Bowen served as the team captain. The players who didn’t get a chance to play were Foderingham (goalkeeper), Coufal, Cresswell, Casey, Luis Guilherme, and Ings.

Caution Issued: Rodríguez, Álvarez, Paquetá