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Nigerian defender Ola Aina scored in Nottingham Forest's mauling of West Ham.
Ola Aina was among the scorers in the 3-0 victory for Nottingham Forest against West Ham, which ensured the Tricky Trees surpassed Mikel Arteta's Arsenal on the Premier League table.
Chris Wood opened the scoring for Nuno Espirito Santos' side before Callum Odson Odoi doubled the tally just over the hour mark. Another ex-Chelsea star, Aina, closed off the scoring in the 78th minute to ensure Forest surpassed Arsenal in points and goal difference.
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Key match details
West Ham enjoyed early spells of possession, but Nottingham Forest seized the initiative, crafting scoring chances through Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Forest have been near impervious at the back this season, and they thwarted West Ham's attacking forays at every turn.
In contrast, West Ham's vulnerability was exposed when Àlex Moreno breezed past Konstantinos Mavropanos and delivered a pinpoint cross for Chris Wood to head in his fourth goal in three league outings.
Forest maintained their pressure, with Hudson-Odoi testing Lukasz Fabianski after Aina's long throw caught West Ham's defence off guard.
The visitors' woes deepened when Edson Álvarez earned his second yellow card for fouling Anthony Elanga, leaving West Ham with an uphill battle. Julen Lopetegui responded with a double substitution at halftime, and his side showed renewed intent.
After the break, Jarrod Bowen squandered West Ham's best chance, striking over the crossbar. Forest, however, continued to threaten, with Hudson-Odoi curling an effort past the Hammers’ Polish shot stopper’s far post before netting the decisive goal, courtesy of a slight deflection off ex-Arsenal man Mavropanos.
Alex Moreno and Nikola Milenkovic went close, but it was Ola Aina who sealed the victory with a thunderous left-footed strike into the top corner, capitalising on Jean-Clair Todibo's lapses in concentration.
Nottingham Forest's third consecutive win propelled them into the Premier League's top four, bolstered by their second consecutive clean sheet.
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