After Lucas Paqueta opened the scoring for West Ham United within three minutes against Nottingham Forest, David Moyes might have been lured into a false sense of security, perhaps expecting his side to record their first Premier League win in five matches with minimal fuss.
Instead, the Scot was sent on a rollercoaster of an afternoon as goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga on either side of half-time put Forest 2-1 ahead before headers from Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek delivered the Hammers a dramatic comeback of their own and a vital 3-2 victory.
Soucek was a threat from set-pieces all afternoon and deservedly got his goal in the 88th minute as he powered a header home from a wicked James Ward-Prowse delivery.
Tomas Soucek's stats vs Forest
In what was a thrilling contest at the London Stadium, the Czech Republic goliath saw his persistence in front of goal eventually rewarded
Towards the closing stages, the 27-year-old hit the crossbar and had a header miraculously saved by Forest keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
While it would prove to be third time lucky for the Czech midfielder after nodding home a Ward-Prowse delivery, he demonstrated his strength in the air throughout the contest by winning five of his six aerial duels.
Aside from being a handy weapon utilised to attack the ball in both boxes, Soucek's engine and late runs into the box are two of the main reasons why Moyes finds a way to fit him into the team.
His aggression and energetic displays are also vital to the Hammers's recovering possession, registering six clearances, two tackles and winning two of his three attempted ground duels against the Reds, as per Sofascore.
Although Soucek's high-octane work rate and ball-winning are near faultless, he often falls short in the creative department, struggling to drive his team forward in possession and feed the forwards with intricate passes.
Having only completed 68% of his attempted passes and zero of his dribbles, despite being deployed as a number 10, the £65k per-week battler raised eyebrows once over Moyes' decision to play him as a number 10.
Soucek's lack of creativity continues to come under scrutiny, but Ward-Prowse's was labelled as "world-class" by the Scotsman against Forest.
James Ward-Prowse's stats vs Forest
Ward-Prowse has been absolutely magnificent since arriving from St Mary's in the summer and his wand of a right foot proved to be the difference once more on Sunday afternoon.
Praised by journalist Henry Winter for his "wizardry", the 29-year-old served up more magic at the London stadium by supplying two assists from corners as Bowen and Soucek dragged the Hammers to victory, while the Englishman took his tally to an incredible ten assists in all competitions this term.
At the peak of his powers, the midfielder is arguably the best set-piece specialist in the Premier League having provided more assists from dead balls (17) since the start of the 2020/21 campaign than any other player in the competition.
With Alan Shearer and Ian Wright putting him into the same bracket as David Beckham for how exceptional he is from set pieces, the Southampton academy graduate doesn't just provide a threat from dead-ball situations, having showcased his incredible passing range against the Tricky Trees.
According to Sofascore, the £115k per-week magician registered a 96% pass completion, attempted 13 crosses, made five key passes and created two big chances.
Accurate passes
70/73 (96%)
Touches
94
Key passes
5
Crosses (acc.)
13 (4)
Big chances created
2
Ground duels (won)
4 (3)
Aerial duels (won)
1 (1)
All stats via Sofascore
He now ranks fourth among midfielders in the top flight for big chances created (6) and third for key passes per game (2.5), which highlights how pivotal his impact in the final third has been.
It also begs the question as to how Gareth Southgate has left him out of his latest England squad.
