Nott'm Forest 2 West Ham 0
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side faced an out of sorts West Ham at the City Ground. Last time out The Hammers were on the business end of a six-nil drubbing at the hands of Arsenal, in front of their own fans, with many demanding a response.
Tavares did well down the left wing, getting to the byline and picking out Elanga in the box. He met the ball on the half-volley but was denied by a save from Areola who managed to keep the ball out with his feet.
The hosts were putting David Moyes’ side under some real pressure and his defence were struggling to cope with the onslaught. Constantly failing to clear their lines, the ball dropped to Gibbs-White on the penalty spot but once again Areola denied Forest an opening goal.
Michail Antonio broke from the halfway line for The Hammers on his first game back from injury. He made a beeline for the Forest box but as he tried to take it past Murillo, the defender read it well to dispossess him before he could get a shot away.
Credit: @NFFC
In added time at the end of the first half, Dominguez picked out Awoniyi superbly with a pass. The big striker turned well before slotting the ball into the back of the net to give Nuno Espirito Santo’s side the lead they had deserved.
With FFP charges hanging over their heads, Nottingham Forest are desperate for wins to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three. The manager was brought in solely to secure their Premier League status this season.
They were bossing this game and it continued after the interval. Gibbs-White found Elanga at the back post and his volley brought a great acrobatic stop from Areola. The only worry for the home fans was their slender lead as there should have been clear daylight between these sides by now.
Kalvin Phillips was fouled in his own half and as he looked to get on with things quickly, he lost his mind and threw Dominguez to the floor. The referee opted to show both players a yellow card for their involvements in the melee.
The West Ham midfielder then flew in on a challenge with Gibbs-White, catching the player with his boot raised high. Immediately the referee brandished a second yellow card to give the on-loan Phillips his marching orders, with two bookings in the space of three minutes.
When he signed for Man City, he must have thought he had finally reached the ‘big time’. Since then, he has played about as many minutes as Scott Carson and his career has nose dived as a result. No doubt his form, nor sending off, will prevent Gareth Southgate continuing to give him England caps.
Credit: @NFFC
Down to ten men, West Ham were under the cosh more than ever. Williams burst into the box for Forest and went down under the challenge of Cornet. The referee waved away their appeals and the VAR review saw no ‘clear and obvious error’.
It is getting boring stating how this process baffles us every week. The replay showed that the West Ham player stood on Williams’ foot and should have been a penalty all day long. We have even seen them given for identical fouls this season. Consistency is a pipe dream with these officials.
The referee then showed a yellow card to Nuno Espirito Santo for his protests. Maybe that is actually what we need, a blue card that can be shown to officials for incompetency. Then a draw is made to pick a lucky fan out of the crowd to run the game for the next ten minutes.
As Nottingham Forest continued to press, the ball broke to Hudson-Odoi who drilled it into the back of the net to seal all three points for the hosts. They had dominated this game from start to finish and deserved to come away with the win.
The victory moved Espirito Santo’s side four points clear of the bottom three. Nottingham Forest can use this result as a springboard for the rest of the season to make sure that they are playing Premier League football next season.
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