2 November 2024
Nott’m Forest 3 West Ham 0
In-form Nottingham Forest welcomed West Ham to the City Ground. Lopetegui’s side showed a decent second-half display to take all the points against Man Utd in the capital last weekend. That result ended up being the final straw for Erik ten Hag as he was dismissed by the club days later. This game had the potential of being a much tougher ask for The Hammers.
The hosts almost opened the scoring early on with some fast-flowing football. Elanga whipped a cross into the box but Hudson-Odoi’s effort narrowly missed the far post. It will be worrying for Lopetegui just how easily his side were carved open. They seem to be conceding goals very easily since he took the reins at the London Stadium.
It did not take Forest long to impose themselves on this game. Moreno did well down the left and got to the byline before picking out Wood in the box. Considering the form he is in of late, to be completely unmarked just yards from goal is shocking. The Kiwi headed into the back of the net to open the scoring. He has probably had tougher chances in training than this.
West Ham were getting increasingly frustrated with not being able to get the ball off the hosts. Alvarez was shown a yellow card for a very unnecessary foul as a result. The Hammers came forward for the first time and forced a corner. As it came into the box, it was half-cleared but dropped to Paqueta. His shot seemed destined for the bottom corner but Sels got down well to turn it behind.
Just before the interval the hosts counter-attacked with pace. As Elanga looked to race clear, Alvarez put in another poorly-timed challenge. The referee had no option but to produce a second yellow card and give the midfielder his marching orders. This game was looking tricky enough but now down to ten men, you had to fear the worst for The Hammers.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side continued to press and ask questions of the visitors after the break. West Ham not only could not clear their lines but were struggling to retain possession whatsoever. Hudson-Odoi looked to bend one in the far corner and it beat everyone to nestle in the net. Questions will be seriously asked of Fabianski’s effort to keep it out.
Under David Moyes, West Ham suffered the occasional hiding. These results made the fans grow ever more restless with the manager and eventually saw the pair parting ways. They were expecting big things from the appointment of their new manager which are not materialising at all. If anything, they look worse defensively than they ever have.
In the modern game, patience is a virtue that football club owners do not seem to possess. You have to wonder whether Lopetegui will be the next to follow Erik ten Hag to the job centre. The Hammers cannot continue like this. They look less of an attacking threat than they did last season and look capable of shipping more than the port of Dunkirk during the evacuation of WW2.
Aina picked the ball up on the right and ran across the box before unleashing a sublime effort with his left foot. It fizzed past the West Ham keeper and into the back of the net. What a way to score your first goal for the club with a stunner like this one. The City Ground was bouncing and their team seemed to be heading into the top four of the Premier League.
Forest almost added another when a cross into the box was met by Milenkovic. Somehow, his thunderous strike was turned over the crossbar by Fabianski. It was a sublime save from the West Ham stopper. He more than made up for his part in the second goal with that one. It was one-way traffic by this stage and the visitors were struggling to cope.
Jarrod Bowen showed some great commitment when he signed a contract extension at West Ham with some big clubs circling for his signature. Now seeing these performances by The Hammers, you could be forgiven for wondering whether the attacker should be committed to an insane asylum for making such a rash decision. Danny Dyer has a lot to answer for if he swayed him in any way.
Deep into added time Moreno swung a ball into the box, which was headed down by Milenkovic. Yates swept the ball home as he wheeled away in celebration. Sadly it was ruled out as the defender was in an offside position when he knocked it down. It was a relief for Lopetegui’s side who had really struggled to cope with the Forest threat all game.
Into added time and Sosa ran towards goal, looking to bend one in the top corner from the edge of the box. To everyone left in the ground, it seemed to be arrowing in. Fabianski dived full-stretch and made a superb save to tip it over. The West Ham keeper had single-handedly kept this score down at the City Ground.
The victory sent Forest into third spot in the Premier League table. Nobody would have predicted this before the start of the season, probably not even Nuno Espirito Santo. Meanwhile Julen Lopetegui will continue to field some very awkward questions about his future in the capital. Something needs to change for The Hammers and quickly.
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