Football | West Ham United 1 - 2 Nottingham Forest

West Ham's inconsistency remains as Forest boost their Champions League chances

The away side survived a chaotic 16 minutes of added time in a game marked by errors, controversy and late drama.

Author - Jack L

Forest were gifted an early lead after 11 minutes when West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola misjudged a pass to Guido Rodríguez on the edge of the box. Morgan Gibbs-White pounced, intercepting the ball and calmly slotting it into an unguarded net.

The visitors doubled their advantage midway through the second half when Anthony Elanga’s inswinging free-kick took a decisive touch off West Ham defender Nikola Milenkovic and found the bottom corner. The goal was confirmed after a six-minute VAR check, which was further complicated by technical issues with offside technology and communication delays between officials.

West Ham pulled one back in the 86th minute, when Jarrod Bowen lashed home a stunning volley after Morato’s weak headed clearance. The goal set up a frantic finale, with tempers flaring and several players booked following a scuffle in stoppage time.

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Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was called into action to deny a Niclas Füllkrug header as West Ham pushed for an equaliser, but Nuno Espírito Santo’s side held firm. The result keeps them seventh in the table, level on points with Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa, and trailing sixth-placed Manchester City only on goal difference.

Forest now host Chelsea on the final day of the season. A win, combined with favourable results elsewhere, could secure a stunning qualification for next season’s Champions League.

West Ham don't take advantage of fast start

The match had started at full throttle. Sels was forced into an early save to deny Tomáš Souček’s powerful header inside two minutes, while Areola made decent stops from Gibbs-White and Chris Wood. But the French keeper’s costly error soon handed the visitors the advantage.

Forest’s second came via a slice of luck, with Elanga’s delivery brushing Milenkovic’s back and creeping in off the far post. The lengthy VAR check that followed was met with frustration from both sets of supporters, highlighting ongoing issues with the system’s reliability and transparency.

Despite Bowen’s late strike, West Ham were left to rue yet another defeat (their 17th of the league campaign) and remain in 15th place with one match to play.