Bowen, Paquetá and Wilson deliver a cathartic late show to lift Potter and West Ham

West Ham found their voice and their first league win of the season with a ruthless late burst at Nottingham Forest, scoring three times from 84 minutes onward to win 3-0. Jarrod Bowen’s on-the-turn finish cracked the game open before Lucas Paquetá’s penalty and Callum Wilson’s deft header sealed a victory built on patience, a clean sheet and a clear plan.

Under pressure after two defeats and a leaky start, Graham Potter changed shape and dialled down the risk. The reward was control: a sterile first half of just four shots and 0.28 xG—the fewest and lowest of any Premier League first half so far this season—and, eventually, the platform to pounce when legs and minds tired.

Structure first, belief to follow

Potter’s switch to a back four brought a calm the Hammers have lacked in recent weeks. Forest rarely laid a glove on a compact, organised back line, and West Ham carved the best moment before the interval when Paquetá drew a superb save from Matz Sels. The visitors’ approach—measured passes, minimal jeopardy—kept anxiety at bay.

After the break, West Ham trusted their shape. Wilson’s introduction gave them a stronger reference up front; Sels tipped over his deflected strike and then denied him again from an awkward angle. Still, the visitors’ clarity did not waver, and the moment they had been waiting for arrived with six minutes of normal time left.

Bowen’s spark and a ruthless seven minutes

The opener was classic Bowen: sharp movement and a clinical touch. A sequence starting from an El Hadji Malick Diouf throw-in worked its way to Crysencio Summerville, whose ball was steered in at the near post by the captain. Bowen kissed the badge and slid toward the travelling support; Paquetá went ballistic, even losing his footing in the celebrations.

With Forest reeling, Summerville was tripped by Ibrahim Sangaré and Paquetá sent Sels the wrong way from the spot on 88 minutes. Wilson then capped it at 91, eluding his marker to glance in Diouf’s cross for his first goal for the club. From 0-0 on 83 to 3-0 on 91: a seven-minute spell that underlined the value of control and conviction.

Relief for Potter, leaders step forward

This was a pressure valve hissing open. Including this result, Potter has six wins from 24 matches since January, and defeats to Sunderland and Chelsea had intensified the scrutiny. He now has the same number of points in one more game than predecessor Julen Lopetegui managed before dismissal. The performance here—compact, patient, ruthless late—offered evidence of progress to go with the points.

The dressing-room voices matched the mood. Bowen said: "Football is very simple: keep the ball out of your net and put it in the back of the other. That's what we did today," while Wilson praised the shape change that “gave us a platform to go and attack,” adding his delight at the clean sheet after a difficult few weeks for the back line.

London derbies await, and a template to trust

West Ham emerge from the break with Tottenham visiting on 13 September before Crystal Palace on 20 September. This win, achieved through structure first and cutting edge late, offers something to carry into those tests.

There is life in this side, led by the talismanic Bowen and a fired-up Paquetá, and supported by a contribution-rich bench. If the control shown for 83 minutes is matched by the ruthlessness of the next seven, this can be a turning point rather than a reprieve.