- Nottingham Forest surged to third place with a commanding 3-0 win over West Ham
- Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina were on the score sheet as Forest find themselves occupying a Champions League spot
- Super Eagles defender Ola Aina scores first goal of the season, pushes Nottingham Forest to third in the league standings
Nottingham Forest’s ambitions in the Premier League are no longer a distant dream. In a brilliant display, Forest charged to a 3-0 victory against West Ham, a result that has now moved them into third place for the first time since 1998. Chris Wood continued his goal-scoring spree by netting the game’s opener, proving him as a serious contender in the race for the Golden Boot.
The first goal came in the 27th minute, as Wood, capitalising on Alex Moreno’s well-timed cross, sent a powerful header past the West Ham keeper. With this goal, Wood now has eight goals in his last eight appearances, making him one of the Premier League’s most lethal forwards this season. His efforts have made Forest’s rise to the top four a reality and always given fans reasons to celebrate.
West Ham fought back with Lucas Paqueta coming close to equalising, only to see his effort cleared off the line. However, their chances took a significant blow when Edson Alvarez was sent off in the first half. Alvarez earned two bookings within three minutes, his final foul on Anthony Elanga forcing referee Peter Bankes to show a red card, now with only ten men, West Ham struggled to contain Forest’s attacks.
In the second half, Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi stole the spotlight, curling in a brilliant shot from outside the box to double the lead. Ola Aina then rounded off the scoring with an impressive finish after capitalising on a mistake by Jean-Clair Todibo, securing Forest’s victory.
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo was full of praise for his side’s performance, sharing,
“All of us should be proud of the way we performed… The red card changed everything, but the players understood not to be complacent. This is what football is about, a fantastic moment for us and the fans.”
When asked about Forest’s top-four ambitions, he added,
“It doesn’t mean anything now. We have to keep going as it’s a very long season ahead of us.”
Ola Aina, echoing this sentiment, emphasised the team’s focus,
“We are taking every game as it comes and we’re just working hard. That’s the formula, just work hard and take every game as it comes.”
With their impressive form, Nottingham Forest is now eyeing a place in the UEFA Champions League, and with performances like this, that ambition may well become a reality.
Super Eagles star Lookman shares his next milestone after Ballon d'Or nomination
Previously, TheRadar reported that Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman, one of Nigeria’s biggest football talents, had set new goals after being nominated for the prestigious 2024 Ballon d'Or and CAF Men's Player of the Year awards.
The Atalanta BC star had declared his ambition to lead Nigeria to the AFCON 2025 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, building on his recent successes with both his club and national teams.
