West Ham United's miserable winless run was extended to ten games in a storm of controversy, as a late VAR-awarded penalty handed Nottingham Forest a crucial 2-1 victory in the Premier League's relegation scrap on Tuesday night.
A Night of High Drama and Controversy
The match at the City Ground swung on two pivotal Video Assistant Referee interventions. West Ham had taken the lead in the 13th minute when Forest defender Murillo headed a wicked corner into his own net. The visitors then thought they had doubled their advantage, only for Crysencio Summerville's fierce strike to be ruled out after a VAR check found Taty Castellanos was in an offside position during the build-up.
Forest drew level before the break through Nicolas Dominguez's looping header. The game appeared to be heading for a draw until the 89th minute, when referee Tony Harrington was instructed by VAR to review a potential incident in the West Ham box.
'It's a Joke' - West Ham's Fury Erupts
After watching the pitchside monitor, Harrington overturned his initial decision and pointed to the spot, judging that Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had fouled Morgan Gibbs-White by catching him in the face as he attempted to punch the ball clear. Gibbs-White calmly converted the penalty to seal a massive three points for the home side.
The decision prompted immediate and fierce backlash from the West Ham camp. Midfielder Tomas Soucek did not hold back in his criticism, branding the call "a joke" in a post-match interview with Sky Sports. "I just saw it and we would have 20 penalties a game if it's like that," he fumed. "I came to the Premier League because I thought it was the toughest league in the world. We are all fighters, warriors but this looks more like basketball, you can't touch the player."
In stark contrast, match-winner Gibbs-White admitted he was dazed by the contact but had no doubts from the spot. "To be honest, I got whacked in the face and I didn't have a clue what was going on. I came to my senses when he said it was a penalty," he said.
Relegation Battle Heats Up
The result has significant implications at the bottom of the table. The victory establishes a seven-point cushion between Nottingham Forest in 17th place and West Ham, who now sit in the relegation zone in 18th. For Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest, it was a vital win in their survival bid, while it piles further pressure on West Ham manager David Moyes as his team's alarming slide continues.
The Premier League's match centre later explained both key VAR decisions on social media platform X, but that will be of little consolation to the furious travelling supporters and players, who feel a critical game was decided by a contentious late intervention.
