London, May 18: Nottingham Forest kept their UEFA Champions League aspirations alive with a gritty 2-1 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.
The result lifts Forest to 65 points from 37 matches, leaving them level with Manchester City and just one point adrift of Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United—three sides occupying the coveted top five spots.Morgan Gibbs-White opened the scoring in the 11th minute, capitalising on a costly error from West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to slot home into an open net. The Forest playmaker dedicated the goal to teammate Taiwo Awoniyi, who recently underwent abdominal surgery. The visitors doubled their lead shortly after the hour mark when Anthony Elanga’s curling free-kick deflected off defender Nikola Milenkovic and trickled into the net.Though Jarrod Bowen reignited West Ham’s hopes with a thunderous volley late in the game, Forest withstood a wave of pressure through a tense 16 minutes of stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Matz Sels produced a vital save to deny Niclas Fullkrug and preserve the three points for Nuno Espírito Santo’s men.
Statistically, Forest’s high press and aggressive intent continue to pay dividends—this was their 17th goal from opposition errors this season, the most in a single Premier League campaign since Chelsea’s tally of 21 in 2013/14. Anthony Elanga’s assist also marked his 11th of the season, equalling Bryan Roy’s record for most assists in a top-flight campaign by a Forest player since 1994/95.Despite Bowen’s late strike—his third goal in as many league games—West Ham’s woes at home persist. The Hammers are now winless in five consecutive home matches, their longest such run since 2019. Sunday’s loss also marked their first defeat in a final home game of a Premier League season since the 2016/17 campaign.
Nottingham Forest will now turn their attention to a high-stakes clash against fourth-placed Chelsea next Sunday at the City Ground, where victory could seal their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League. (Agencies)
