Forest win piles pressure on West Ham survival hopes
Nottingham Forest have moved four points clear of West Ham in the relegation race after beating Burnley 4-1 at the City Ground.
The first half was about as dull as football gets. Forest looked leggy following their Europa League quarter-final win on Thursday, while Burnley seemed content to sit back and absorb pressure. The home side offered very little in terms of cutting edge.
A key moment for Vítor Pereira’s team came early, as centre-back Murillo was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury. It looked like it might remain a forgettable encounter—until Burnley struck just before half-time. Flemming capitalised against a makeshift Forest defence, with West Ham loanee James Ward-Prowse involved in the build-up. In truth, Burnley were gifted possession in the lead-up to the goal.
Ward-Prowse involvement proves costly in second-half turnaround
Forest switched to a 4-4-2 at the break in an attempt to wrestle control, and they nearly equalised early on when Morgan Gibbs-White miskicked from close range.
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However, he made amends on 62 minutes. A poor header from Ward-Prowse sent Gibbs-White through on goal, and he finished well to level things up.
Seven minutes later, the same players were involved again. Ward-Prowse lost out in a 50/50 with Jesús, and Gibbs-White was on hand to fire home a well-taken half-volley to give Forest the lead.
The game was effectively put to bed soon after. Ekdal endured a moment to forget, allowing Gibbs-White a completely free header inside the box, which he powered home from 13 yards to seal the win. The cherry on top was added by Jesus who scored a 97 min goal on the break.
Palace clash now feels must-win for West Ham
From a West Ham perspective, the situation is becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
Forest’s victory opens up a four-point gap, and with the pressure mounting at the bottom—alongside Tottenham—the Hammers now face what feels like a must-win clash against Crystal Palace.
Fail to take three points there, and the gap could quickly become far more worrying.