(1) Forest’s wide men provide hope
The academies of Manchester United and Chelsea have a decent reputation for bringing through highly talented and technical players.
Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi both got a taste of Premier League football with their first clubs but for various reasons were allowed to leave in the summer to join Nottingham Forest.
Aged 21 and 23, respectively, the duo have time on their side. Against Newcastle Elanga’s pace was a constant danger, helping him kick dust into Dan Burn’s face as he sprinted beyond the full-back, who had no answer to the Swede’s pace. Hudson-Odoi’s threat comes from cutting in from the left, which brought him his goal on Saturday.
Nuno Espírito Santo was eager to bring in a winger in January, acquiring Gio Reyna, another 21-year-old, from Borussia Dortmund because he thinks counterattacking football could be key to Forest’s success. Will Unwin
(2) Southgate left to feast on Rice
If Gareth Southgate was hoping to pore over this game for clues as to which of West Ham’s eligible midfielders might be best qualified to partner Declan Rice, he will have probably given up and gone back to scanning the Eredivisie highlights after the opening half-hour.
James Ward-Prowse is a long-term squad absentee, but still on the numbers the most effective England-qualified backup in the league.
Deployed in an unhelpful advanced scrapping role, he had to wait 14 minutes and 48 seconds here for his first slightly exasperated touch.
Kalvin Phillips came on with the score already 4-0. By the final half hour, with Arsenal taking turns to tee up Mohamed Elneny for a final banter-goal, the notion there was anyone in the West Ham team with a compelling claim to match Rice’s levels at the Euros
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