Nigerian international Ola Aina was among the scorers on Saturday as Nottingham Forest secured an impressive 3-0 victory over West Ham United, overtaking Arsenal to move into third place in the Premier League standings.
The match began with early drama when a Nottingham goal was disallowed in the fourth minute after a VAR review confirmed an offside in the build-up.
However, the home side continued to press, and their persistence paid off in the 27th minute. Alex Moreno delivered a precise cross, which found Chris Wood, who headed it low into the net, putting Forest ahead 1-0.
West Ham’s troubles worsened just before halftime as midfielder Edson Alvarez received a second yellow card for a reckless foul, leaving his team down to 10 men.
Moments later, Lucas Paqueta came close to equalising with a powerful strike, but Nottingham goalkeeper Matz Sels made an outstanding save, preserving the lead at halftime.
Forest doubled their advantage in the 65th minute. Callum Hudson-Odoi capitalised on a well-placed free-kick from Elliot Anderson, steering the ball into the bottom right corner for a 2-0 lead.
The highlight of the match came in the 78th minute when Ola Aina showcased his skill, maneuvering past defenders before launching a stunning strike from the edge of the box that soared into the top left corner, leaving West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski helpless. The spectacular goal sealed the game for Nottingham at 3-0.
A late attempt by Forest to add a fourth goal was overturned after a lengthy VAR check in stoppage time, which ruled out Ryan Yates’s effort due to offside.
With the victory, Nottingham Forest leapfrogged Arsenal to claim third place in the league, marking a notable achievement in their campaign so far.