The headlines after West Ham’s late surge to demolish Nottingham Forest were all about the substitutions, [Crysencio Summerville’s](https://www.claretandhugh.info/summerville-to-west-ham-rescue-with-potter-masterstroke/) magnificent return and Lucas Paquetá’s perfect, no-doubt response to all of the match day speculation. The relief felt by West Ham fans – who had forgotten what it felt like to _enjoy a game of football_ – was palpable.
Graham Potter’s substitutions had worked perfectly. His bold abandonment of the much criticised five-three-two formation, whether a gamble or a bold strategic change, worked wonders.
And the Hammers kept a clean sheet after eleven goals conceded in their first three games. Make no bones about it, this was every bit as important to Mads Hermansen’s career as the goals down at the other end were to West Ham’s Premier League position. The Dane had little to do – but it was ‘mission accomplished’ with few alarms which will do the young man’s confidence no harm at all.
Just days before, the [nytimes.com/athletic’](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6573613/2025/08/26/mads-hermansen-graham-potter-west-ham-united/)s article described his as a shaky start’, suggesting:
“_Part of a goalkeeper’s armour is mental strength, positioning, concentration and organisation. But Hermansen has not impressed in these areas. The nadir of his performance against Chelsea was when supporters sarcastically applauded Estevao’s deflected shot. The goalkeeper was low on confidence and there reached a point when Enzo Maresca’s side realised peppering Hermansen with crosses was a worthwhile exercise._ _Before their equaliser, Liam Delap blocked Hermansen’s attempts to punch the ball away. It would later highlight his vulnerability on corners.”_
Which did not go unnoticed in the Nottingham Forest camp as Hermansen was surrounded and penned in by ‘Forest for their early corners. More resolute defending and good luck saw West Ham survive and Hermansen must have breathed a sigh of relief as his opponents reverted to a more normal set up for their second half set pieces. The Dane survived, and the rest is history. A couple of decent saves and Hermansen looks on less shaky ground.
Which must give Potter a small amount of satisfaction having chosen the Dane over Brazilian John Victor and convinced the club to splash the best part of £15 million. There will certainly be tougher tests ahead for Mads Hermansen but hopefully he’s now grabbed a boost in confidence after the first clean sheet of the season.