Recap

Nottingham Forest strike late to deepen West Ham’s relegation fears in dramatic London Stadium turnaround

Forest overturn early own goal as Domínguez and Gibbs-White complete precious comeback

Nottingham Forest mounted a stirring second-half comeback to beat West Ham United 2-1 at the London Stadium, transforming an early deficit into three priceless points in the Premier League relegation battle.

A Murillo own goal had given West Ham a 13th-minute lead, but second-half strikes from Nicolás Domínguez and Morgan Gibbs-White flipped the contest on its head and left the hosts mired in crisis near the foot of the table.

Line-ups and stakes: a true relegation six-pointer

Both sides began the night under intense pressure, separated by just four points in the table and fully aware that this fixture was worth far more than the usual three points in the context of survival.

West Ham, winless in nine league games before kick-off, set up in an aggressive 4-3-3 designed to get Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen quickly into space around central striker Valentín Castellanos.

The Hammers’ starting XI featured Alphonse Areola in goal behind a back four of Kyle Walker-Peters, Jean-Clair Todibo, Konstantinos Mavropanos and youngster Ollie Scarles. Tomáš Soucek anchored midfield with João Gomes Fernandes and Lucas Paquetá, while Bowen, Summerville and Castellanos formed the front line.

Forest, also under pressure after a poor run of their own, opted for a proactive approach. New signing Valentín “Taty” Castellanos was heavily involved early on, linking with Summerville and offering a constant outlet in transition. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side looked determined to play on the front foot, with Neco Williams and Callum Hudson-Odoi key threats from wide areas.

West Ham strike first through Murillo’s nightmare moment

The hosts capitalised from a set piece to take the lead on 13 minutes, in a goal that Forest will bitterly regret.

Omari Hutchinson, attempting an ambitious Cruyff turn near his own corner flag, was dispossessed and conceded a needless corner, inviting West Ham pressure. From Summerville’s delivery, Soucek rose at the near post to flick the ball across the six-yard box, where Forest defender Murillo inadvertently glanced a header past his own goalkeeper Matz Sels and into the net.

It was officially recorded as a Murillo own goal and summed up the anxiety in Forest’s defending during the opening stages. The London Stadium roared with relief as West Ham finally had something to protect.

Forest respond: Areola tested and Hudson-Odoi rattles the bar

Conceding appeared to jolt Forest into life. Williams came close to levelling with a superb 20-yard curler that seemed destined for the top corner until Areola acrobatically tipped it over the bar. It was a reminder of the visitors’ attacking quality and a warning sign for West Ham’s back line.

Hudson-Odoi then produced a moment of trademark quality shortly before the interval. Cutting in from the left onto his right foot, he unleashed a swerving, dipping effort from the edge of the area that beat Areola but clipped the crossbar before flying over. The fine margins underlined the growing Forest momentum as half-time approached.

West Ham, meanwhile, were increasingly content to play on the counter, using Summerville’s pace to drive Forest back when possible, but they struggled to impose sustained control in midfield. Despite the scoreline, the pattern of play suggested Forest were far from out of the contest.

Second-half chaos: VAR denies West Ham, Forest strike from a corner

The second half exploded into life around the 55-minute mark, in a pivotal passage that turned the match’s narrative.

Early after the restart, Forest appealed for a handball against Soucek in the West Ham box. A brief VAR check cleared the Czech midfielder, with the officials ruling there was no penalty, though Forest felt they should at least have been awarded a corner.

Almost immediately, West Ham thought they had doubled their lead. A blocked shot from Walker-Peters broke kindly for Summerville, who lashed in on the volley to spark wild celebrations among the home fans. However, VAR intervened again and ruled the goal out, judging that Castellanos had been offside in the build-up, some phases earlier.

The decision proved a turning point. From a psychological lift of going 2-0 up to suddenly seeing the lead vanish back to a precarious 1-0, West Ham’s fragility resurfaced. Forest seized the reprieve ruthlessly.

Just seconds after the disallowed goal, Forest forced a corner of their own. Elliot Anderson’s near-post delivery was met by Domínguez, whose header glanced across goal and looped over Walker-Peters at the far post before dropping into the net for 1-1.

The goal was a carbon copy in principle of West Ham’s opener: a near-post touch, a looping trajectory, and a defence caught flat-footed from a set piece. Forest were level on 55 minutes and suddenly the momentum belonged entirely to the visitors.

Forest push on, Dyche’s West Ham wobble

With the scores level and the stadium tense, Nuno looked to press home the advantage, introducing another new forward, Pablo Felipe, to inject fresh energy in attack. On the touchline, the Forest manager’s emotions boiled over; he was booked for protesting what he felt was an obvious foul on Summerville that went unpunished.

West Ham, stung by the equaliser and the VAR call, tried to reassert themselves. Sels, however, emerged as Forest’s hero in a crucial spell. The Belgian goalkeeper produced an outstanding double save, first parrying a powerful effort from Walker-Peters before springing up to block Castellanos’ follow-up.

Moments later, Bowen seemed poised to restore West Ham’s lead, only for Murillo—redeeming himself after his earlier own goal—to make a vital last-ditch block. These interventions summed up Forest’s renewed resilience at the back and West Ham’s inability to convert promising positions into goals.

As the clock ticked down, the hosts increasingly resembled a side haunted by their recent form: hesitant in possession, wasteful in the final third, and nervy whenever Forest advanced into their defensive third. The visitors, sensing weakness, continued to attack with purpose, particularly through Gibbs-White’s movement between the lines.

Late drama: Gibbs-White wins and converts decisive penalty

The decisive moment arrived in the 89th minute, fittingly from another set piece.

Forest swung in a corner and Areola came off his line to punch, but in attempting to clear he clattered into Gibbs-White, catching the Forest captain in the face. Initially play continued, but VAR intervened once again and sent referee Tony Harrington to the pitchside monitor.

After review, Harrington awarded a penalty, concluding that Areola’s challenge was a clear foul on Gibbs-White. The decision sparked furious protests from West Ham players and fans, but Forest had their chance.

Gibbs-White, having absorbed the heavy contact moments earlier, stepped up to take the spot-kick himself. Showing remarkable composure given the stakes, he drove his penalty low and straight down the middle, beating Areola and completing Forest’s turnaround at 2-1.

The goal sent the away end into delirium and left West Ham staring at a damaging home defeat, their players slumped as the reality of another winless outing set in.

West Ham’s collapse and what it means for the table

The final whistle confirmed a result that could have profound implications for both clubs’ seasons. Forest’s victory not only snapped their own poor run but also opened a significant gap between the sides in the relegation battle, stretching the difference to seven points.

For West Ham, the narrative is bleak. Their winless run in the league extended to 10 matches, with this latest defeat particularly painful given they led for more than 40 minutes and thought they had gone 2-0 up before VAR’s intervention. The psychological blow of a disallowed goal swiftly followed by an equaliser, then a late penalty against them, encapsulated the fragility of a side on the slide.

Sean Dyche’s team showed flashes of quality—Summerville’s direct running, Paquetá’s passing in patches, and Areola’s excellent first-half save from Williams—but once again they were unable to manage key moments, especially around set pieces at both ends.

Forest, by contrast, demonstrated the resilience and opportunism required in a relegation fight. After a calamitous opening goal, they gradually asserted themselves, hit the woodwork, forced big saves from Areola, and ultimately capitalised on VAR swings and defensive errors. Domínguez and Gibbs-White emerged as the heroes on the scoresheet, while Sels and Murillo redeemed earlier setbacks with decisive contributions in defence.

Tactical notes and key performances

From a tactical perspective, Forest’s willingness to keep committing players forward even after falling behind proved crucial. Anderson’s delivery from set plays, the width provided by Hudson-Odoi and Williams, and Gibbs-White’s central influence consistently asked questions of West Ham’s shape.

West Ham’s 4-3-3 produced some promising moments when they broke quickly, especially with Summerville leading transitions, but they struggled to sustain pressure in the attacking third. The lack of a clinical edge, combined with defensive lapses at corners and in dealing with high balls, undermined Dyche’s objective of turning London Stadium into a fortress in the survival battle.

Individually, Gibbs-White’s leadership and nerve in converting the late penalty stood out for Forest, as did Domínguez’s timing and aggression for the equaliser. Hudson-Odoi was unlucky not to score with his first-half effort off the bar, while Sels’ second-half saves were as valuable as any goal.

On the West Ham side, Areola mixed excellent shot-stopping with one costly misjudgement, Soucek again provided aerial presence but found himself at the centre of VAR debate, and Bowen toiled without the decisive moment his side needed.

Outlook: Forest’s belief grows as Hammers face brutal reality

This match will likely be remembered as a defining chapter in the season’s relegation story. Forest leave London not only with three points, but with renewed belief that they can pull clear of danger by marrying defensive discipline to their growing attacking threat.

West Ham, meanwhile, are left confronting the very real possibility of dropping into the Championship. A home defeat to a direct rival, having led and then conceded twice from set-piece situations, will intensify scrutiny on the squad’s mentality and the coaching staff’s ability to arrest the slide.

As the fixtures come thick and fast, both teams know the margins will remain fine. On this night at the London Stadium, when those margins mattered most, Nottingham Forest were sharper, braver and more decisive in the big moments—and that was enough to turn a single goal deficit into a season-shaping 2-1 victory.