Nuno Espirito Santo attributed West Ham’s precarious position in the relegation zone to two controversial VAR calls following their 2-1 defeat at home against struggling rivals Nottingham Forest.
The Hammers’ hopes of survival took a significant hit as they slipped further down the table after initially taking the lead through an own goal by Murillo. They believed they had doubled their advantage when Crysencio Summerville blasted the ball into the net from the edge of the box.
– Premier League January transfers: All confirmed ins, outs for every club
However, a VAR review revealed that new signing Valentín “Taty” Castellanos had been in an offside position earlier in the play.
This turned out to be a crucial moment as Forest equalized shortly after when Nicolás Domínguez connected with a corner from Elliot Anderson, scoring with a header that evaded Kyle Walker-Peters.
“That was the turning point of the match. A two-goal lead would have changed everything. We were performing well and causing problems for Forest,” Nuno remarked.
The situation worsened for West Ham when, just two minutes before time, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola attempted to punch away a corner but inadvertently struck Morgan Gibbs-White in the face.
Despite a lack of appeals from Forest players, VAR prompted referee Tony Harrington to review the incident, which resulted in Gibbs-White scoring the decisive goal shortly after.
“As a goalkeeper, you can’t alter your trajectory when going for the ball—it’s a natural motion,” Nuno explained. “Instances like this happen often without repercussions. In my day and today, I don’t think it should have been a penalty.”
West Ham’s Tomas Soucek expressed his frustration on Sky Sports: “It’s ridiculous; I’ve just seen it. I joined the Premier League because it was regarded as the best league in the world, yet this feels more like basketball. Areola went for the ball, and we were confused about why VAR was even reviewing it.”
In the end, West Ham fell to a team equally underperforming, and the gap between them and safety widened to seven points. Had they won, it would have been just one point.
“It’s a significant gap, but it’s not the end,” Nuno insisted. “We must continue to believe, work hard, and pursue the winning streak we need.”
This victory ended Nottingham Forest’s four-game losing streak, which had put them in jeopardy. “I’m thrilled with the result,” said Forest manager Sean Dyche. “There was plenty of noise surrounding the game, and rightly so. Overall, we deserved this win based on the players’ mentality. It won’t always be beautiful, but we got the job done.”