In the end the only thing missing was Evangelos Marinakis charging down to the pitch to add one more body to Nottingham Forest’s desperate rearguard action. There was chaos everywhere at the London Stadium, all sense evaporating after Jarrod Bowen stirred West Ham into life with a superb volley. So serene until Bowen’s goal transformed the mood in the 86th minute, Forest were gripped by nerves once their two-goal buffer disappeared and they found themselves battling to prolong their push for Champions League qualification.
There were 17 minutes of added time to endure. A melee broke out at one stage and there was an escape for Forest when Matz Sels, a standout player during a season in which so many of Nuno Espírito Santo’s players have exceeded expectations, repelled a powerful header from Niclas Füllkrug, whose introduction as a substitute had contributed to West Ham’s belated improvement in attack.
Forest are doing it the hard way. Not bothered about aesthetics, Nuno relished his side, with 39.5% of the possession, securing a second win in eight games. All that mattered after a recent wobble was rising a point below fifth-placed Aston Villa and setting up an almighty showdown with Chelsea at the City Ground on the final day. “We are trying to make something magical happen,” Forest’s manager said. “It is going to be a special game.”
Do not bet against Forest if they can ride a wave of emotion against Chelsea. Here they were playing for Taiwo Awoniyi, still recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery on a horrific abdominal injury, and proving they have not been affected by Marinakis’s very public debrief with Nuno after last weekend’s draw with Leicester. A restorative 2-1 victory, secured with goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic, means Forest continue to push against the Premier League’s established order.
Nikola Milenkovic scores Nottingham Forest’s second goal, which required a six-minute VAR check to confirm. Photograph: Tony O Brien/Reuters
Can they finish the job? The evidence is inconclusive. “It was more open than me and Nuno would want,” Graham Potter said after another disappointing result at home. Forest, boosted by Murillo returning from a hamstring injury to renew his partnership with Milenkovic in central defence, are giving chances away. West Ham started well and could have led when Tomas Soucek’s header drew a wonderful save from Sels after two minutes.
Vladimir Coufal’s early raids from right-wingback caused problems. The Czech Republic international almost marked his penultimate appearance for West Ham by scoring his first goal for the club with a deflected drive that Sels pushed wide. Aaron Cresswell, another veteran defender playing his final home game in claret and blue, later threatened with a back-heel.
Forest stood firm. They knew that West Ham were even more vulnerable at the back. Gibbs-White spurned an easy chance, volleying straight at Alphonse Areola from close range. Anthony Elanga then teed up Chris Wood to test Areola from 25 yards. West Ham’s goalkeeper is undoubtedly a fine shot-stopper. Yet he is less sure commanding his area and even worse with the ball at his feet, so it was not clear why he was attempting to play out from the back in the 11th minute. Baiting the press is not really Areola’s thing and he was embarrassed when Gibbs-White intercepted a pass to Guido Rodríguez before firing an uncompromising finish into an unguarded net.
While Gibbs-White celebrated by lifting a shirt in support of Awoniyi, the air went out of West Ham. They have struggled at home under Potter, whose steady 3-5-2 system has had more success in away games. “At home you have to be the protagonist,” he said. “You have to be able to be proactive.”
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Goalkeeper Matz Sels saves from Carlos Soler to help keep Nottingham Forest’s top-five hopes alive. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images/Reuters
There was a quadruple substitution from Potter before the hour. Forest responded by doubling their lead in farcical circumstances, Milenkovic onside when he diverted Elanga’s firm free-kick past Areola. Patience was stretched to breaking point by thevideo assistant referee taking six minutes to assess whether Nicolás Dominguez, marginally offside in the middle, was interfering with play when Milenkovic scored. It later emerged that the semi-automated offside system was not available, plus that communications with Stockley Park had broken down. “They’re drawing the lines,” Potter said. “I think they ran out of ink.”
The delay gave West Ham time to recover. They improved thanks to Potter’s attacking changes, Lucas Paquetá, Carlos Soler and Füllkrug making a difference. It was game on when Morato, introduced to stiffen Forest’s defence, headed Paquetá’s chip to Bowen. The subsequent finish was emphatic and the stage was set for a frantic finale. How Forest made their fans sweat. How they fought for the points. Now for Chelsea.
