Nottingham Forest kept their hopes of reaching the UEFA Champions League alive after securing a tough 2-1 victory against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.
From the start, Forest knew that only a win would keep their chances of finishing in the Premier League’s top five. They showed their determination early on, pressing hard and looking for opportunities. Their efforts paid off in the 11th minute when Morgan Gibbs-White took advantage of a mistake by West Ham’s goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and calmly put the ball into the net, giving Forest the lead.
Gibbs-White dedicated his goal to teammate Taiwo Awoniyi, who is currently recovering from abdominal surgery, a gesture that showed the strong bond within the team.
Forest continued to control the game and doubled their lead in the 61st minute. Nikola Milenkovic scored with a powerful shot that seemed to put the match out of West Ham’s reach. At this point, it looked like Forest might comfortably hold on to their advantage.
However, West Ham fought back with determination. Jarrod Bowen created a moment of magic by scoring a stunning volley to bring his team back into the game, making it 2-1 and setting up a tense finish.
The home side pushed hard for an equalizer during a long period of stoppage time that lasted 16 minutes. West Ham came close several times, but Forest’s goalkeeper Matz Sels made an important late save to deny Niclas Fullkrug and preserve the victory.
This win keeps Nottingham Forest in seventh place in the league table. They are now level on points with Manchester City and just one point behind Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United, all of whom also had matches scheduled for Sunday.
