West Ham United are finally off the mark in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign following a stunning 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest at City Ground.
The win couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hammers, who have endured a disastrous start to the season.
It was a late show at City Ground. Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring in the 84th minute with a low strike into the bottom corner, while Lucas Paqueta doubled their advantage from the spot.
Callum Wilson added the cherry on top with a fine header in stoppage time after getting on the end of a pinpoint cross from summer signing El Malick Hadji Diouf.
Potter lavished praise on his troops after the stunning victory ahead of the international break.
“I’m delighted for the players, delighted for the team,” Potter said after the game (via whufc.com). “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.”
Graham Potter has bought himself time
It took just two Premier League games for Potter to start feeling the heat at the London Stadium.
After back-to-back heavy defeats against newly promoted Sunderland and London rivals Chelsea, the English manager was walking a tight rope.
Voices of discontent from the fans only grew louder when the Hammers were eliminated from the EFL Cup second round by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
West Ham have never been one to make knee-jerk decisions on their managers, so there’s no surprise that he still has the backing of the board.
Potter backed himself to turn things around, but there was a general feeling that another defeat against Forest could force the club to start exploring alternatives.
However, West Ham’s late show at Forest has bought Potter more time to turn things around.
For the first time this season, things are looking up for the Hammers. They’ve brought in two new midfielders and are expected to make a few more additions to the squad before the deadline elapses.
West Ham will host fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur after the international break, and Potter will hope his side can pick up where they left off.