Nottingham Forest recorded a third successive Premier League win to go third in the table as in-form striker Chris Wood inspired them to a comfortable 3-0 success against West Ham United at the City Ground.
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Wood headed home for his sixth goal in his last six Premier League games midway through the first half, before Julen Lopetegui's visitors saw Edson Alvarez sent off.
Playing the second half with 10 men, the Hammers' woes were compounded by further goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina as Forest stretched their unbeaten run to four matches.
Nuno Espirito Santo's men leapfrogged Arsenal into third place in the table following the Gunners' 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United earlier on Saturday.
West Ham, meanwhile, slipped to 14th with 11 points from 10 matches, having failed to build on last week's victory over Manchester United.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
15 | +18 | 36 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
17 | +18 | 35 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
17 | +18 | 33 |
| 4 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
17 | +4 | 31 |
| 5 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
17 | +4 | 28 |
How the match unfolded
Forest dominated the early stages, but Nuno's hosts struggled for clear-cut chances, with Hudson-Odoi dragging a close-range effort wide inside the first two minutes.
However, ever-reliable New Zealand international Wood stepped up on 26 minutes, nodding Alex Moreno's dinked cross home from six yards out.
Wood then showed his defensive instincts to block Lucas Paqueta's low strike on goal, before things got worse for West Ham as Alvarez was dismissed for a rash lunge on Anthony Elanga just before half-time.
Lopetegui's visitors rallied after the restart, but Forest weathered this quick burst of pressure and made their numerical advantage count.
Hudson-Odoi curled in from the edge of the box after Ryan Yates found him with a quick free-kick after 65 minutes, then Aina lashed home from distance after more lax West Ham defending 12 minutes from time.
The hosts almost added a fourth late on as Lukasz Fabianski produced a superb reflex stop to deny Nikola Milenkovic and Yates saw an effort ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
Cool, calm and collected Callum
Wood will grab the headlines for Forest as his impressive goalscoring streak continued. However, Forest's second scorer deserves plenty of praise following a lively performance, with Hudson-Odoi netting his first home goal of the campaign.
Alongside Elanga on the opposite flank, Hudson-Odoi offered the perfect blend of pace and trickery in wide areas, playing off physical focal point Wood to great effect.
A touch of fortune – in the form of a slight deflection – aided him for his goal, but the confidence and calmness to take on such a chance was a testament to his development under Nuno.
In a scenario where many wide players would opt for a cross, Hudson-Odoi backed himself to find the top corner, and his boldness brought a reward for the home team.
With Forest flying high ahead of next week's home game versus Newcastle, Hudson-Odoi continues to make good on the promise he showed as a youngster with Chelsea.
No place like home for Hammers
West Ham boss Lopetegui faces another trip back to the capital filled with frustration after his side failed to win on the road for a fourth Premier League match in succession.
A 2-0 success at Crystal Palace back in August remains West Ham's sole league away victory in 2024/25, a bleak contrast to their encouraging displays at the London Stadium.
Many thought back-to-back home wins over Ipswich Town and Man Utd would give lift-off to the Lopetegui era, but Saturday's defeat in Nottingham followed on from draws at both Brentford and Fulham.
Playing the entire second half with 10 players was a mitigating factor this time around, but a first-half performance featuring just one shot on target illustrated their shortcomings in attack.
With trips to Newcastle, Leicester City and AFC Bournemouth on the agenda before Christmas, Lopetegui's charges must improve on their travels to ward off fan frustrations.
What the managers said
Nuno Espirito Santo: “We worked very hard this week. The intensity is what we are focused on. We have to work, and work hard - and we need to improve much more. Nothing has changed since the beginning. We have to keep on going. Believe me, there is no other way. If you get distracted, football doesn’t forgive you.
“Now I’m thinking about Tuesday and the next training session, because that is what’s important. It [the table] doesn’t mean anything now.”
Julen Lopetegui: "We are very disappointed today and we have to use these hard moments to push forward and to look forward to the next challenge. After the second goal it was a very different match and it was a hard day for us and for our fans too. "
Club reports
Nott'm Forest report | West Ham report
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Nott'm Forest secured their biggest Premier League victory since beating Coventry City 3-0 back in August 1996. Meanwhile, the Tricky Trees will end the day in the top three of the top-flight for the first time since 7 September 1998.
Alvarez became the first player to be sent off twice for West Ham in a single season across all competitions since Aaron Cresswell in 2021/22.
Since the start of last season, Nott'm Forest have scored 14 Premier League goals from outside the box with only Manchester City (22) netting more goals from distance during this period.
West Ham have won only one of their seven away Premier League matches against Forest (D3 L3), losing each of their three visits to the City Ground since the Tricky Trees returned to the top flight.