West Ham's troubles deepen with dismal defeat to Nottingham Forest
By Andy Sims, Press Association
West Ham’s Premier League survival hopes took another major blow after slipping to a 2-1 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.
The Hammers will point to two controversial VAR decisions, a disallowed goal for offside and a late penalty award converted by Morgan Gibbs-White for Forest’s winner.
But ultimately they came off second best to a team just as bad as them and where the gap to safety would have been just one point with a victory over Sean Dyche’s side, it is now seven.
Having rolled over to give rock-bottom Wolves a first win of the season on Saturday, a 12th defeat in their 21 games means the end is surely nigh.
They were without Callum Wilson, with the striker understood to have already negotiated his departure having been removed from the squad earlier in the day.
Instead West Ham have gambled on new signings and Taty Castellanos, the £28million capture from Lazio, was handed an immediate debut little more that 24 hours after arriving in east London.
The Argentinian was quickly involved, seeing a shot charged down after being played in by Crysencio Summerville.
Forest threatened with Neco Williams seeing a 20-yard curler acrobatically tipped over the crossbar by Alphonse Areola.
West Ham took the lead after 13 minutes, albeit with a goal entirely of Forest’s making.
Omari Hutchinson’s attempt at a Cruyff turn near his own corner flag backfired when he conceded a corner, and when Tomas Soucek flicked on Summerville’s delivery Murillo inadvertently headed past his own keeper.
Forest were inches from equalising shortly before half-time when Callum Hudson-Odoi’s swerving, dipping effort clipped the crossbar.
Early in the second half a brief VAR check cleared Soucek of a suspected handball in the area, although Forest should at least have had a corner.
Play moved to the other end and when Kyle Walker-Peters’ shot was blocked it fell for Summerville to lash home, only for VAR to spot Castellanos was offside – some time earlier – in the build-up.
It was a pivotal moment, as seconds later Forest equalised when Nicolas Dominguez met Elliot Anderson’s corner at the near post and his header looped up and over Walker-Peters at the far post.
Nuno Espirito Santo sent on his second new forward, Pablo Felipe, before the Hammers boss’ frustration got the better of him when he was yellow-carded for protesting against the decision not to give what looked a clear foul on Summerville.
Sels made a fine double save to deny Walker-Peters and then Castellanos on the follow-up, before Jarrod Bowen was thwarted by a last-ditch Murillo block.
The winner came after Areola came out to clear another corner only to catch Gibbs-White in the face, with referee Tony Harrington eventually giving the spot-kick for the Forest captain to smash home and leave West Ham seriously contemplating life in the Championship.