West Ham United's miserable winless run was extended to ten games in dramatic and controversial fashion on Tuesday night, as a late VAR-awarded penalty handed Nottingham Forest a crucial 2-1 victory in the Premier League's relegation scrap.
A Night of High Drama and Controversy
The match at the City Ground began promisingly for the visiting Hammers, who took a 13th-minute lead when Forest defender Murillo headed a whipped corner into his own net. The Londoners thought they had doubled their advantage when Crysencio Summerville fired home, but a VAR review ruled that Taty Castellanos was in an offside position during the build-up, disallowing the goal.
Forest grew into the game and found an equaliser through Nicolas Dominguez's looped header from a corner. The pivotal moment arrived deep into the match when, with the score at 1-1, referee Tony Harrington was advised by the Video Assistant Referee to review a potential incident at a pitchside monitor.
'It's a Joke' - West Ham's Furious Reaction
Harrington overturned his initial decision and pointed to the spot, adjudging that West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had fouled Morgan Gibbs-White by catching him in the face as he attempted to punch the ball clear. Gibbs-White converted the 89th-minute penalty to seal a massive three points for the home side.
The decision prompted an immediate and furious backlash from the West Ham camp. Midfielder Tomas Soucek did not hold back in his criticism, telling Sky Sports: "It's a joke. I just saw it and we would have 20 penalties a game if it's like that. 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 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 Implications
The result has significant consequences at the bottom of the table. The victory establishes a seven-point gap between Forest in 17th place and West Ham, who sit 18th. For Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest, it is a vital boost in their fight for survival. For West Ham, the defeat extends a dire run of form and heaps pressure on their campaign, with the controversial nature of the loss only adding to the frustration.
The Premier League's match centre later explained both key VAR interventions on social media platform X, confirming the offside call against Castellanos and detailing that the referee had changed his decision to a penalty after review, stating the goalkeeper had fouled the Forest attacker.
