Nottingham Forest piles pressure on Nuno as West Ham struggles deepen

A dramatic late penalty by Morgan Gibbs-White, awarded through VAR, sealed a 2-1 victory for Nottingham Forest over West Ham United, leaving the Hammers seven points adrift from safety. The match, dubbed a 'relegation cup final', saw West Ham initially take the lead through an own goal by Murillo and a strike by Cysensio Summerville, only for the latter to be chalked off by VAR due to an offside call. Forest equalized through Nicolas Dominguez, setting the stage for Gibbs-White's decisive penalty. The loss intensifies scrutiny on West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who has overseen five defeats in six games. Nuno remains optimistic, stating, 'There's a big gap, but it's not over. We keep believing.' In contrast, Forest boss Sean Dyche hailed the win as a testament to his team's 'winning mentality'. The result comes as a significant boost for Dyche, following a run of four consecutive defeats. Player ratings and post-match reactions highlighted the controversy surrounding the penalty decision, with West Ham's Tomas Soucek likening the current state of the game to 'basketball' where players cannot be touched. Nuno Espirito Santo vowed to continue believing in his team's ability to avoid relegation, urging his players and fans to 'keep believing' and 'sticking together'.