Our website uses cookies to provide your browsing experience and relevant information. Before continuing to use our website, you agree & accept our Cookie Policy & Privacy.
THE CITY GROUND, NOTTINGHAM — After 23 years without Premier League football in this corner of the East Midlands, Nottingham Forest marked their homecoming with a 1-0 victory over West Ham United.
A quartet of summer signings proved to be the Forest heroes on a sweltering afternoon: Dean Henderson with a penalty save, Jesse Lingard and Neco Williams with standout displays, and Taiwo Awoniyi with the winning goal.
"Catching up 23 years in six weeks" was the phrase coming out of the club this week, and that was evident in the starting lineup, featuring eight new arrivals. The minor updates to the 124-year-old stadium were also evident, with a refresh of the facilities to bring it up to scratch for the big time after spending a generation in the English Football League.
Thankfully, the changes were not to the structure of the ground, as the noise reverberated off the steel around this old-school stadium wonderfully. Forest fans enjoyed their day, even in temperatures of 32C/90F, by creating a buzz around the city beforehand and a deafening atmosphere at times during the 90 minutes. The Premier League is certainly a better place for it.
Despite the heat, the first half had a nice tempo to it, with Forest making up for their lack of end product with plenty of endeavour. They started the brighter of the two sides, with former Liverpool man Williams carving out a few half-chances for Awoniyi, with the No.9 failing to connect.
Williams was a menace at times on the right flank in Steve Cooper's 3-5-2, providing a level of attacking quality above the men in front of him, but one matched by Lingard. The England international was superb through the first half, central to all of Forest's play.
Lingard was constantly in space, played a few dangerous throughballs, instigated counter-attacks, and tracked back throughout to help defensively, particularly on the left wing. He also caused an early yellow card for one of his former Irons teammates in Declan Rice, but the visitors' captain fantastic didn't let that get in the way.
From around the 20-minute mark, Rice and Pablo Fornals in particular started to get on the ball and dictate the midfield battle a little more. Forest's central pair began to sit off, allowing West Ham to start carving out half-chances of their own.
🔥 Neco Williams shone in the first half for Nottingham Forest as they lead West Ham 1-0.📈 The wing-back had 40 touches of the ball, played eight passes into the box, won seven duels, and attempted four shots - all game-high figures. #NOTWHU #NFFC pic.twitter.com/yQMQ9o2KLs— Sporting News Football Club (@sn_footballclub)
Michail Antonio was one man struggling to get into the game at all, visibly frustrated at times, with the play happening 10 yards short of him and his few touches failing to come off. During the drinks break midway through the half, David Moyes was deep in conversation with him, in an attempt to rejuvenate his play.
It didn't work — and the ex-Forest centre-forward then had one particularly costly contribution. West Ham had an opener for Said Benrahma — who had begun the move himself with a superb solo run up the entire field, which took apart two chasing Forest players — ruled out due to a foul from Antonio in the build-up.
Forest had got away with one, with Lewis O'Brien having lost Benrahma rather lazily. At the opposite end, one man far from lazy was Awoniyi, who showed plenty of hustle and made the runs, albeit without the required touch of quality. He also put himself on Kurt Zouma throughout in a real physical battle, when he should've shown the nous of taking the easier route by imposing himself on the shakier Ben Johnson instead.
However, the £18m striker's efforts were rewarded with a goal that he didn't know a huge amount about. Not that it'll bother him: he's the scorer of Forest's first Premier League goal in over two decades.
A post shared by Nottingham Forest FC (@officialnffc)
Harry Toffolo made his way into the box from the left, where Forest had made hay a few times, finding Lingard in the middle. His ball ricocheted off Ben Johnson into the run of Awoniyi, with his stride having enough force to divert the ball past Lukasz Fabianski in first half stoppage-time.
Just after the break, Fornals struck the bar with a sensational long-range effort that bounced on the line before Henderson kept out the rebound. That was followed by Forest thinking they'd taken a 2-0 lead, only for a second goal of the afternoon to be brought back by VAR. Brennan Johnson — who'd struggled in the opening period, devoid of a finishing touch — lifted the ball over Fabianski well after being teed up by Orel Mangala, but was slightly offside.
West Ham then hit the woodwork a second time through a Benrahma free-kick, before the crafty winger — his urgency the perfect antidote to the Irons' general patience and poise at The City Ground — burst through on a brilliant counter moments later, squaring for Tomas Soucek. The Czech's effort was handled by Scott McKenna — needlessly, as Henderson would've saved it anyway — and a penalty was awarded after a VAR check.
Henderson — with a huge point to prove after speaking of how unfairly he believed he was treated by Manchester United last term — stepped up to spare McKenna's blushes, however, saving the spot-kick from Rice. One of the division's premier midfielders telegraphed his effort to the goalkeeper's right. Alongside Lingard, the ex-Red Devils were proving to be the heroes for Forest.
Williams provided a couple more moments of inspiration during the second half, too — firstly creating a great opportunity for Moussa Niakhate at the back post, and then denying Zouma at the other end with a goalline clearance.
West Ham had the lion's share of the attacking-third possession but never truly looked like turning the screw as the sleeping giants from the East Midlands held on, even with an agonising seven minutes of added time. New signings Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwell Cornet came off the bench for the visitors to little effect, and Moyes' boys are left languishing with zero points from their opening two games.
For Forest, meanwhile, it's a dream home start to life back in the big time. Alongside the settling in of the incoming transfers — more of which will arrive — their form at this cauldron will be absolutely crucial to any survival bid.
Goals: Taiwo Awoniyi (45th min)
Post-match press conference quotes from Cooper and Moyes to follow.
*Only available in UK:
Awoniyi opens his Forest account on his debut!! :football2:The City Ground is rocking! :loud_sound: pic.twitter.com/28C4NKamRN— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL)
*Only available in USA:
For the first time in 23 years, Nottingham Forest have scored a Premier League goal!Look how much it means to the Nottingham Forest fans. Forest lead 1-0 at the half.:tv:: @USA_Network & @Telemundo #MyPLMorning | #NFOWHU pic.twitter.com/uXBeFxKhLM— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer)
