West Ham endure VAR controversy in defeat to Nottingham Forest
West Ham were left furious by VAR calls as the Hammers suffered a crucial 2-1 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest at the London Stadium on Tuesday evening, reports BritPanorama.
The victory, secured by Morgan Gibbs-White, who converted a penalty in the 89th minute, now provides Sean Dyche’s side with valuable breathing room, opening up a seven-point cushion above the drop zone.
For West Ham, the defeat compounds their relegation fears, leaving them stranded seven points from safety. The result marks a significant moment in Forest’s battle for survival following a turbulent campaign that has seen three different managers take charge.
Despite the win, Forest recognise substantial work remains to guarantee their Premier League status. West Ham took the lead through an unfortunate own goal from Murillo, despite Forest dominating proceedings in the opening period. Neco Williams forced Alphonse Areola into an excellent save with a strike from 20 yards, while Callum Hudson-Odoi rattled the crossbar with the goalkeeper beaten.
Nicolas Dominguez restored parity within 10 minutes of the restart, before Gibbs-White held his nerve from the spot to clinch all three points. However, incident and controversy clouded the match. Following Murillo’s own goal, West Ham thought they had doubled their advantage when Crysencio Summerville lashed the ball home from the edge of the box. VAR ruled the goal out due to an offside infringement in the build-up.
Worse was to come when, with two minutes remaining, goalkeeper Areola came out to punch clear a corner and caught Gibbs-White in the face. Despite no appeals from Forest players, VAR sent referee Tony Harrington to the monitor, whereupon he awarded a penalty that led to Gibbs-White’s winner. Nuno Espirito Santo, Forest’s newly appointed manager, defended the decision: “You cannot stop your movement,” he said. “All the stadium felt the pain of the goal ruled out. We had chances to change it around.”
Soucek, who headed the ball clear before Areola caught Gibbs-White, fumed on Sky Sports: “It’s a joke, I just saw it. I came to the Premier League because it was the best league in the world, and it’s more like basketball.” As the match concluded, West Ham came off second best to a team just as troubled as them, and where the gap to safety would have been just one point, it now stands at seven.
“It is a big gap but it is not over,” said Nuno, attempting to rally his players. “We have to keep believing, working hard and chasing this good run that we need.” In the end, the match served as a stark reminder of how fine the margins are in football and how contentious decisions can shape destinies in this unforgiving league.
