Head Coach Graham Potter believes the character, spirit and togetherness his West Ham United team showed thoroughly warranted the Irons’ 3-0 Premier League win at Nottingham Forest.
The Hammers headed to the City Ground on Sunday without a point to show for their efforts from their opening two top-flight matches but responded by producing a near-perfect away performance to chop down the Tricky Trees.
Indeed, the victory achieved through three goals in the final six minutes of the second half could have been even more emphatic, so strongly did Potter’s team build their foundations and ultimately finish the game.
Captain Jarrod Bowen netted the first on 84 minutes from returning substitute Crysencio Summerville’s pass. Two minutes later the Dutch winger won a penalty, which was converted by Lucas Paquetá, then Callum Wilson completed the rout by heading in El Hadji Malick Diouf’s inch-perfect left-wing cross.
In addition to Summerville’s superb return, there was also Wilson’s first goal for the Club, Mateus Fernandes making an eye-catching debut and Mads Hermansen and his defence keeping a first clean sheet of the season.
And Potter was righly proud after seeing his players respond to his tactics, formation change to 4-5-1 and instruction to give everything to the letter.
Football is a lot like life. It’s often challenging, often unfair, often fair. Just when you think you’re on your knees, you get something and you have to keep going. That’s the life we’re in.
I’m delighted for the players, delighted for the team. They showed the quality they have, they showed the togetherness and the connection that they’ve had. That, of course, comes under doubt when people lose trust and confidence because the results haven’t been what we wanted.
But always the team have been fighting for each other and I’m really proud of them for that.