Looking to open a PL season with successive home wins for the first time since 1984/85, Forest were on the front foot for much of the opening half, albeit without causing Mads Hermansen too many issues between the sticks.
In fact, the hosts fired just one off-target attempt in the first period, with the game’s first shot on target not arriving until the 39th minute when the potentially departing Lucas Paqueta made a strong connection with debutant Mateus Fernandes’ ball, forcing Mats Selz into a fine stop.
That was the closest either side came to making a breakthrough before the interval, with chances very much at a premium.
A pair of quickfire opportunities got the second half up and running as Chris Wood tamely headed into Hermansen’s clutches, shortly before Jarrod Bowen cut back for Paqueta, who failed to wrap his foot around the ball at the near post.
There was a notable uplift in tempo as the rain began to pour at the City Ground, with a turnover deep in the Forest half leading to another smart stop as Sels kept out Niclas Füllkrug.
A goal was looking increasingly likely as the hour mark ticked by, and despite Forest largely dictating proceedings, it was West Ham who nearly went ahead when substitute Callum Wilson saw his deflected strike dealt with by Sels.
A richly entertaining second half eventually produced a breakthrough in the 84th minute when the Hammers got their reward through Bowen, who tucked home on the turn with a first-time shot.
There was yet more drama just four minutes later, with Paqueta netting from the spot after substitute Crysencio Summerville had been upended in the box by Ibrahim Sangare.
Any lingering doubts were firmly put to bed in stoppage time via Wilson, who nodded El Hadji Malick Diouf’s cross into the ground and beyond Sels for his first goal for West Ham.
Defeat puts an end to Forest’s run of three consecutive PL H2H triumphs, with a first clean sheet in 11 league games slipping through their fingers in the dying minutes.
As for West Ham, a first goal in five top-flight visits to Nottingham sees them get off the mark in the PL, earning three points thanks to a much-improved performance that will delight travelling fans.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)
