Forest beat West Ham, but four areas still need work | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest found relief at the London Stadium, beating West Ham to move seven points clear of the bottom three. According to NY Times, there remains plenty to refine despite the result.

West Ham struck early, Nico Dominguez levelled before the hour, then Morgan Gibbs-White converted a late penalty. Sean Dyche said it does not always have to be pretty and that teams sometimes need different ways to win.

A pivotal stretch now follows, with an FA Cup tie at Wrexham, Arsenal to visit, and a Europa League trip to Braga. Forest will need sharper edges.

First, Igor Jesus needs closer support. In the first half Callum Hudson-Odoi and Omari Hutchinson rarely played around him, though Dilane Bakwa improved the link after the break. Second, cut out costly errors, with Hutchinson’s misstep preceding the corner that led to Murillo’s unfortunate own goal, and recent lapses from goalkeeper John Victor adding to the tally.

Third, they must be more than set pieces. Only five of 28 crosses found a target and, without Chris Wood, there was little aerial focal point. Their best open-play moments came when runners carried the ball, notably Neco Williams and Hudson-Odoi.

Finally, rediscover the old spark. Many of this XI were key figures when Forest were riding high last season, but the sharpness has dulled. The win matters, yet the core of this squad can offer more quality and consistency.

Source: NY Times