Forest Burst Hammers Bubble

West Ham United 1-2 Nottingham Forest (Premier League) 06.01.26

It was never going to be easy, nor was it destined to be a night of beautiful football, but Nottingham Forest ended a four game losing run, to get the job done, and win the match that mattered at the London Stadium last night.

At a half-empty Hammers ground, the atmosphere was subdued, before, during, and especially after the game had finished, but a small section of travelling fans from Nottingham stuck by their team, they sung all night, and got rewards, with a huge win that will ease the Reds relegation fears, for now.

For West Ham fans, they may feel they simply can’t catch a break right now, a night where Nottingham Forest didn’t particularly play well, the Reds rode their luck, got a decision, or two, in their favour, but took full advantage, and there won’t be a Garibaldi supporter in the land who cares for anything less than the three points they got.

Sean Dyche’s army are now seven points and a place above Nuno’s claret & blues who are eighteenth in the table and occupying the third relegation spot that cometh May will decide who drops down to the Championship (along with probably Burnley & Wolves).

This win will ease pressure as Forest focus on cup football during January, with the Hollywood millionaires of Wrexham hosting a third round FA Cup party on Friday night, before Arsenal (H) and Brentford (A) in league matters, sandwich an important Europa League fixture in Braga, before the Reds end the month against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.

Mood currently buoyed by this win at West Ham, but it could all have been so different, after the cream shirted Forest went a goal behind, again, to a set play, in only thirteen minutes, after Murillo hooked into his own net from a near post corner.

West Ham weren’t great, neither were Forest, but they did hit the crossbar through Callum Hudson-Odoi in the first half, trademark cutting in from the left and curling a fizzing effort that cannoned off the top of the white painted metal frame.

In the second half we expected a reaction, we got it, as Forest pressed, openly, without shape, without formula, without belief it felt, it was carnage for a few minutes and the Reds were picked off when Crysencio Summerville smashed home low from just inside the area, a game winning goal, match decided it looked, the Hammers back in Premier League survival mode, only for VAR to interject, and give Taty Castellanos offside by an armpit hair, much earlier in the move.

The reaction, Forest would go up the other end and immediately score. Only West Ham have conceded more set plays than the Reds this season, so when Elliot Anderson’s corner was nodded in by Nico Dominguez, I suppose, it was little surprise. In fact, the most surprised person in the stadium was Nico himself, as he ran off celebrating following his looping flick on landing in the corner of the net.

Locked horns the game didn’t exactly ebb, or flow, the Hammers had a couple of sniffs, the Reds defended well, Neco Williams was brilliant, but they didn’t attack particularly brilliantly, Igor Jesus a lone figure looked lost, but Forest did get a late free kick on 83, floated into the box and in trying to come out for the ball Areola the West Ham Goalkeeper connected with the face of Morgan Gibbs-White, missed by all bar VAR, when replayed back it was as clear as Anthony Joshua’s knock down punch on Jake Paul.

Penalty awarded for a modern day video ref gimmie, after a long delay, on 89 Morgan Gibbs-White nervously dusted himself off, stood up, and went for the safety option, down the middle, to give the Reds the lead.

Only seven extra minutes awarded to see the result through, by then it was felt, West Ham had already lost heart, their few fans had already left the stadium, Dyche doing a Nuno, by bringing Morato on for the final few, he replaced the sub Bakwa who was worryingly awful (again)… The concern is that the ginger one, does not yet trust enough of the players he has at his disposal, to make more than a couple of subs per game.

The win, regardless of performance was what mattered the most though, Dyche will tell you that since he’s taken over, it’s sixteen points from thirteen played, and at that rate continued, Forest should have more than enough, to survive.

The bigger question is however, this team don’t play good football, they don’t have a regular goalscoring threat, and they don’t have the depth they need to fight to push up the division, as well as play some spicy later rounds in the big cup competitions.

This month may see more investment, it may see some out, more in, but whatever happens, the Reds can do their business with a cushion, safe in the know, that they have breathing space, on those below.

Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Anderson, Dominguez, Hutchinson (Bakwa 46 (Morato 90)), Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus.