Bowen lights the fuse as West Ham’s late surge stuns Forest at the City Ground

Three goals in the final seven minutes transformed a tense, low-margin contest into a comprehensive West Ham victory, as Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paquetá and Callum Wilson struck to beat Nottingham Forest 3-0. After a painstaking afternoon built on structure and patience, Bowen squeezed in the opener on 84 minutes before Paquetá rolled home a penalty and Wilson glanced in a third to seal the Hammers’ first league win of the season.

For long spells it looked like the visitors would settle for a valuable clean sheet after a turbulent start to the campaign. Graham Potter’s tweak to a back four brought control to a forgettable first half that produced just four shots and a combined xG of 0.28, the fewest and lowest of any Premier League first half so far this season. Matz Sels kept Forest afloat after the interval, but once Bowen struck, the hosts collapsed in front of owner Evangelos Marinakis.

A night built on control rather than chaos

Potter’s brief was clear: limit volatility and rebuild confidence. West Ham’s manager shifted from a back five to a back four and asked his side to take as few risks as possible. The effect was immediate. Forest, lacklustre and short of ideas, never stretched an organised visiting unit, while West Ham knitted the only notable opening before the break when Paquetá drew a fingertip save from Sels.

The pattern barely changed after half-time. Forest enjoyed spells of territory but struggled to meaningfully test the West Ham goalkeeper; Chris Wood’s tame header a minute into the second period was as close as they came to unsettling the visitors. West Ham’s patience remained their most potent weapon.

Sels keeps Forest alive until the dam bursts

Sels did everything in his power to keep Forest in the game. He sprang to tip over Wilson’s deflected drive and later stood tall to repel the striker from an awkward angle. Earlier, he had foiled Paquetá with an acrobatic stop, preserving parity as the clock ticked down.

But the resistance finally cracked on 84 minutes. A move that began from an El Hadji Malick Diouf throw-in flowed to Crysencio Summerville, whose ball was expertly steered in by Bowen at the near post. Paquetá, in the lineup after interest from Aston Villa, added a second from the spot four minutes later after Summerville was tripped by Ibrahim Sangaré, sending Sels the wrong way. Wilson then made it safe in the 91st minute, eluding his marker to glance in Diouf’s cross for his first goal for the club. It was only the second time a team has gone 1-0 up as late as the 84th minute and still won by three or more in the Premier League, the other instance coming in October 2002.

Pressure points: Potter finds relief, Nuno seeks clarity

This was more than three overdue points for Potter. Including this win, he has managed just six victories in 24 matches since taking charge in January, and back-to-back defeats to Sunderland and Chelsea had sharpened the scrutiny. His understated celebration at 3-0 signalled relief and, more importantly, evidence of progress in structure and resolve, with Bowen once more the talisman.

For Forest, the optics were grim: second best against opponents who had opened with two defeats. Nuno Espírito Santo will hold talks with Marinakis during the international break to clarify the club’s direction. Both parties expect constructive discussions, and Nuno has stressed the need to separate those talks from this performance, even if a smattering of boos greeted the final whistle.

What it means and what’s next

West Ham return from the break to host two London derbies, with Tottenham on 13 September and Crystal Palace on 20 September, armed with a template built on control and late-game ruthlessness. This felt like a much-needed reset rather than a one-off surge.

Forest face a searching response: trips to Arsenal (13 September) and Burnley (20 September) before a European return against Real Betis in the Europa League on 24 September. Turning sterile possession into chances and avoiding late lapses will be paramount after a bruising afternoon.