In the end, it took the exuberance of youth to spark West Ham United’s season into life.

After the 4-1 victory over Southampton in the second round of the Carabao Cup, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo watched on like a proud father when youngsters Joshua Ajala, 19, Airidas Golambeckis, 18, Lewis Orford, 20, Finlay Herrick, 20, Ezra Mayers, 19, and Divine Mukasa, 19, were serenaded by the away enclosure at St Mary’s Stadium.

Following disappointing performances against Burnley and Charlton Athletic, Nuno’s side needed to produce a positive display. But he opted against naming a strong starting XI like in the previous round against Portsmouth. Instead, Nuno fielded six academy graduates, with forward Ajala, who scored twice, making his full debut. So did defender Golambeckis and third-choice goalkeeper Herrick. Midfielder Orford, who registered two assists, made his third start of the season, defender Mayers made his first first-team appearance since April, while attacking midfielder Mukasa made his first start since rejoining on a season-long loan from Manchester City.

A seventh academy player in Kaelan Casey also featured when he made a late cameo in added time. In total, five members — Herrick, Mukasa, Orford, Casey and Ollie Scarles —  of the FA Youth Cup-winning side from 2023 featured in the matchday squad against Southampton.

West Ham have always prided themselves on being the Academy of Football, and this was that nickname turning into reality.

It was West Ham’s biggest away win in the League Cup since their 5-1 win over Walsall in September 1967. West Ham could have capitulated after Leo Scienza’s opener for Southampton in the tenth minute, but the youngsters showed they were not overawed by the occasion.

“It was a top team performance,” Mukasa told The Athletic. “We came here, did what we needed to do and I think we just need to build on this momentum now. I’m happy and buzzing for Josh, obviously (scoring) two goals. He usually plays as a striker, so he knows how to score goals, which he showed today, but also on the wing, he’s good in one-v-one situations. It was a top performance from Lewis (Orford), from minute one to the end of the game.

“It was so good (for the academy players to be given a chance). Especially today, there were a lot of players that I grew up playing with. It was good to share the pitch with all of them and get the win. We’ve grown up playing with each other since pre-academy days, so it’s really special to show that to everyone. I think that’s exactly what we showed (being the Academy of Football). Young players can go out there and play well.”

Before the closure of the transfer window on September 1, the youngsters showed they are worthy of a role in the club’s push for immediate promotion to the Premier League. Orford assisted Ajala and club captain Jarrod Bowen. Golambeckis did not look out of place alongside Max Kilman. Herrick showed great character to play the full match despite nursing a knock to his right calf.

The desire and dedication were in huge contrast to that shown by the quartet of Jean-Clair Todibo, Maxwel Cornet, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Edson Alvarez, who were again not named in the squad as they seek exits. Fellow wantaway Soungoutou Magassa was an unused substitute and did not join in the post-match celebrations, having headed straight down the tunnel.

Nuno and West Ham have had a difficult start to the season (James Fearn/Getty Images)

But of the many players to seize their opportunity, Ajala, who signed a contract extension in March, showed why he deserves more game time. Having been an unused substitute against Burnley and Charlton, the attacker scored his first senior goal in the 41st minute. He also showed great awareness for his second goal when he capitalised on Jack Stephens’ misplaced clearance.

Ajala, a prolific scorer for the academy, was on the cusp of scoring his first hat-trick since a youth league fixture against Crystal Palace Under-18 in May 2024. But Nuno substituted the youngster in the 59th minute for Manor Solomon.

“This is something I’ve been dreaming of for a long time, so it’s just a surreal moment to score twice on my first start,” Ajala told West Ham’s official website. “In training, when we’ve had to work on set-pieces, the coach has just told me to lurk around the back post. When I saw Lewis (Orford) put a good ball in, I just had to keep my eye on it, just to make sure it goes in the net. Then for the second, it was just following in the box when Divine’s ball was going and just being calm and convinced that I could convert the opportunity.”

Goals from second-half substitutes Taty Castellanos and Bowen sealed the win after the break. Castellanos was embraced by supporters when he ran towards them during his celebration. Mukasa joined in and was also mobbed by fans. The midfielder’s performance was impressive considering he is not fully fit, having not featured in any of Manchester City’s pre-season games. Nuno switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation against Southampton and Mukasa will hope to play a prominent role as a No 10 in forthcoming fixtures at Watford and when West Ham host Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County.

“For me (my performance), is just something to build on,” said Mukasa. “I didn’t play many games in the summer so I’m just looking forward to building on it. I love the fan base. I grew up going to games so I know what it means to them. It was good to see them all so happy (after Castellanos’ goal). It’s definitely special being back. The ambitions of the club are really high. I‘m really looking forward to being a part of it.”

On Tuesday night, the Academy of Football lived up to its name — and gave West Ham hope for the season ahead.

A little over four minutes had passed at St James’ Park on Sunday and Liverpool had started encouragingly, keeping the ball well and with urgency in their play.

Ryan Gravenberch created space with a brilliant touch to get past Lewis Miley but instead of shooting from the edge of the box or playing Dominik Szoboszlai through, the Netherlands international lost possession.

Just 11 seconds later, Newcastle were ahead through Anthony Elanga after a devastating counter that required one pass after Amar Dedic’s initial clearance.

Liverpool simply had no structure when out of possession. It was schoolboy stuff and a nightmare start for Andoni Iraola.

It was a similar story in the second half when Gravenberch was dispossessed after trying a back heel on the edge of the Newcastle box.

This time, Yoane Wissa went on a brilliant run through the centre – evading an array of Liverpool players – and played the ball to Joe Willock, who finished in style.

As Iraola alluded to after, perhaps one of his players should have had the know how to commit a foul in that situation but Liverpool were punished again.

Looking back on both goals, Gravenberch’s decision-making should have been better and perhaps the centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet could have engaged quicker rather than holding off.

But having a defensive midfielder stationed accordingly would, in all likelihood, have nullified the threat.

Liverpool have not had an out-and-out number six since Fabinho, who left in 2023, and as it stands Iraola’s preference is a two-man pivot in midfield with Florian Wirtz playing as a number 10.

Both of those two midfielders, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, were in the Newcastle box when Liverpool lost possession before Elanga’s opener.

If Liverpool are to be taken seriously, they simply cannot concede goals like that regularly.

At Chelsea, there has never been the sense that Liam Delap was the right fit. But Nottingham Forest believe he could be the perfect one for them.

According to people with knowledge of the situation, who, like all of those spoken to for this article unless otherwise noted, have been kept anonymous to protect relationships, during extensive meetings with the Forest recruitment team following his appointment in the summer, Oliver Glasner outlined exactly the kind of forward he wanted to sign.

He craved a player who could be as important to his Forest side as Jean-Philippe Mateta was to his successful Crystal Palace team. He wanted a player with physical stature, mobility, pace and the ability to get in behind opposition defences — somebody with the work rate and determination to occupy the opposition and to leave them on edge.

He could easily have been describing the version of Delap that will be familiar to the fans of Ipswich Town. They saw the now 23-year-old score 12 top-flight goals as they battled against relegation in 2024-2025.  His performances were enough to persuade Chelsea to activate his £30million release clause last summer.

Some might question how Delap’s value has increased to an initial £45million — with another £5million in potential add-ons — following a disappointing campaign that saw him net only a single Premier League goal.

Talk to people who watch Chelsea regularly, and they will tell you a story of a young man who increasingly looked bereft of confidence. He has found himself trapped in the shadow of another signing in the same window, Joao Pedro. Missing two months with a hamstring injury early in the season did not help Delap’s cause, as it allowed the former Brighton man to further enhance his own reputation and for Chelsea to build their identity around him.

Forest were among Delap’s other suitors a year ago, when they believed he could evolve into the perfect replacement for Chris Wood, who is 35 in December.

Delap struggled for form and fitness at Chelsea (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

That outlook has not changed now, with sources saying that Forest believe Delap can follow a similar path as the likes of Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi — who grew from being highly regarded youngsters at Manchester United and Chelsea into integral members of the Forest team.

It represents another club record signing for Forest, amid a window where quality, over quantity, was the desired theme. And, while they are making a significant investment in a young man who needs to get his career back on an upward trajectory, they believe they have the right environment to help him do that. He is expected to sign a five-year contract once he has gone through the medical process today.

“For Liam, this is the perfect place. He has an opportunity to resurrect himself. The last year has been a bit of a disaster,” former Forest striker Robert Earnshaw tells The Athletic.

“I know what type of excitement and expectation that comes with pulling on a Forest shirt. For a forward, it is a great place. But there also comes pressure. The No 9 has to have personality, he has to handle expectation — and he has to score.”

Earnshaw scored 45 goals for Forest in 113 appearances after signing in May 2008. That came after one of the most frustrating seasons of his career, when he scored one goal in seven top-flight starts and 15 sub appearances for Derby. He can empathise with Delap now.

“He can lift himself again. When I had a frustrating time; when I suffered knockbacks — I always saw that as a season of learning,” he says. “I always knew I would bounce back. I hope the same for him at Forest. This is the biggest test of his career. He has to back himself, that would be my advice. Come out and show that you are a great forward. That is the mentality he needs.”

Forest’s need for more firepower was underlined by a 2-0 defeat to Leeds in the Carabao Cup, with Wood coming closest to scoring. Former winger Paul Anderson played with Wood at Ipswich — and can see Delap following a similar path.

“Woody’s biggest strength is laying the ball off, getting in the box, then dominating in the penalty area. Delap is slightly different. He will have better movement, sharper speed, and he will carry the ball in behind more than Wood does now,” he tells The Athletic. “He may not be as clinical, but I think that is something that Wood has improved on, as he has got older — and the same can be true of Liam. His journey might be similar.

“If you are playing with two 10s, Delap is as close to the perfect addition as you are going to get. He will stretch defences in a different way to Wood and Igor Jesus, which should create space in those pockets. He will give Forest something they do not have.”

This SkillCorner graphic looks to compare both players’ run types compared to strikers across the top seven leagues per 30 minutes of team possession. The 2024-2025 season is when Wood rampaged to 20 goals for Forest — and when Delap was a key figure for Ipswich.

Both profile pretty similarly when it comes to attacking runs — searching for space in-behind and getting on the end of crosses — but Delap is a little more varied and explosive in his movements when it comes to stretching the channels and running ahead of the ball. Delap is also a lot more comfortable carrying the ball — he attempted 3.1 take-ons per 90 (vs Wood’s 0.4) and carried the ball an average of 7.2 metres per carry, much further than Wood’s 3.2.

Both can challenge in the air well — Wood was involved in more aerial duels that season (7.3 vs 4.6), but Delap won a slightly higher proportion. The obvious pro for Wood is how tidy he is when it comes to making the ball stick, as he demonstrated with his performances for New Zealand in the World Cup.

Anderson was also an academy coach at Derby County, where Delap came through the ranks from the age of six, before joining the Manchester City academy in 2019.

“I know people who coached him, and they all told me that he was all hustle and bustle and gave absolutely everything in everything he did. As he got older, he started developing the finesse to go with that,” says Anderson. “It has not worked for him at Chelsea. If he does well here, will he become a player who can play for a top four club? Maybe he can.

“Come and learn from Wood, play regularly, take Forest to the next level and cement yourself as the number 9 here. He is still young enough to develop, and Glasner has done great work in making good players even better in the past, at Palace. Hopefully he can do the same with Delap.”