Had you been watching the game between Nottingham Forest and West Ham United and decided to turn it off in the 83rd minute, while the game was seemingly heading towards a goalless draw, you would have been in for a bit of shock when you checked the score later.
The Hammers scored three late goals to earn their first win of the season, and in the process, dished out Forest’s first defeat.
It must be considered a disappointment for **Nuno Espírito Santo**’s men, as their opponents had gotten off to an incredibly poor start to the campaign, and it was a real opportunity for Forest to pile on the misery and go into the international break unbeaten.
Instead, the Tricky Trees were well and truly uprooted, and with Nuno’s status still unknown following a falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis, it could potentially be a difficult few weeks at the City Ground.
So, what did we learn from this poor defeat to West Ham?
West Ham did to Forest what Forest do to others
Last season, Forest frequently beat opposition by allowing them to have the majority of possession, sitting in a mid-block, and then striking with a deadly counterattack.
Unfortunately for Nuno’s men, Graham Potter took a leaf out of his opponent's book and implemented that exact strategy against him, and it worked a treat.
In the second half, Forest had over 60% of the ball, a feat that rarely occurs, and while Nuno may have been attempting a slightly more offensive style, it was clear that, in this game, he was caught off guard and suckered in.
Throughout the 90 minutes, Forest had 11 shots, but not one of those could have been considered a clear chance. They never made Mads Hermansen work in the West Ham net, and made it all too easy for the East London side to soak up the pressure.
It was a cruel irony that Forest suffered defeat in such a manner, but should Nuno still be in the dugout when the team returns from the upcoming international break, it would be expected that the former Wolves manager would have learnt from this defeat and understand that maybe being the aggressor in a game doesn’t suit his side.
Even in defeat, Anderson was the best player on the pitch
Elliot Anderson has developed at a rapid rate over the past year. So much so that he was selected in **Thomas Tuchel**’s recent **England**squad and will almost certainly make his debut against either **Andorra**or Serbia.
And while the Whitley Bay native will be frustrated he couldn’t cap off a milestone week with a win, he should hold his head high, as he was still the best player on the pitch at the City Ground.
His range of passing seems to be growing by the week. He is exceedingly good at ensuring his side retains possession of the ball, keeping his team ticking over with intelligent sideways passes.
But not only that, when Forest were struggling to progress up the pitch against West Ham, Anderson was not against putting a ball into the channel and seeing if one of the front four could get on the end of it.
And even as he gets better on the ball, he has not lost the ability to snap into tackles and win duels.
Nobody on the pitch won more duels than the Geordie, and nobody completed more passes. The 22-year-old was effectively doing the job of two midfielders in one game, and even still, he was absolutely fantastic.
He now turns his attention to international duty, where he will no doubt be looking to make an instant impact.
As mentioned earlier, Anderson was doing the job of two in this game, and that, in large part, was due to the ineffectiveness of Ibrahim Sangaré.
The former PSV man has found frequent first-team football hard to come by during his two years at Forest, and he looks like a player slightly off the boil, even giving away a penalty to all but kill the game for his side.
Forest have invested heavily this summer, with many of their new signings being slowly bedded into the team by Nuno, but one can no longer wait to be slowly integrated.
Former **Aston Villa**midfielder Douglas Luiz has been brought in on loan for the season from Italian giants Juventus, and after watching from the bench for his first two games, the Brazilian must be in the starting line-up for the game against Arsenal.
He brings genuine quality on the ball, while also not being afraid to throw his weight around, much like Anderson.
It would have the potential to be an excellent midfield partnership, and one that Nuno can ill afford to pass up on.
Sels spares Forest blushes
It is not an exaggeration to say Matz Sels was the best goalkeeper in the Premier League last season. The Belgian jointly won the Golden Glove award with David Raya and was a huge part of Forest securing European football.
And while the 33-year-old conceded three against West Ham, without him, his side could have conceded five or six.
In the first period, he made a remarkable save from a Lucas Paquetá effort that looked destined for the back of the net, and then in the second half, he produced an even better one from a deflected Callum Wilson shot.
While the result was far from what Forest wanted, it served as a reminder of how good a keeper Sels is. If the Tricky Trees want to replicate, or even better, last season's success, they will need their keeper to maintain this high level.