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WEST HAM have hit an all-time low, with very few spectators in attendance.
Tens of thousands chose to stay away as Morgan Gibbs-White’s late goal brought the Hammers closer to relegation.
West Ham are facing relegation after losing to Nottingham ForestCredit: Sky Sports
A late penalty from Morgan Gibbs-White leaves the Hammers seven points away from safetyCredit: Getty
Nuno Espirito Santo, who began the season as the manager of Nottingham Forest, has now overseen West Ham's worst Premier League streak—ten matches without a win—since 2007.
Back then, Carlos Tevez inspired a great escape. Two new strikers, Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe, were showcased here, but neither seems capable of filling Tevez's shoes.
Forest came into the match having lost their last four games, fell behind due to a Murillo own goal, and appeared to be struggling, yet the Hammers still faltered.
Nicolas Dominguez equalized with a looping header before Alphonse Areola conceded a late penalty, which Gibbs-White converted, leaving the hosts seven points adrift.
Following their dismal performance against Wolves on Saturday, the message from West Ham's leadership was that they would support their manager.
However, after dropping six points to two of Nuno’s former clubs, this commitment will likely be tested in the coming days. Many Hammers fans and some players would welcome a change from the Portuguese coach.
One of West Ham’s new signings, Castellanos, was immediately included in the starting lineup.
However, one could have been confused seeing the screens outside the London Stadium, which displayed Niclas Fullkrug as the leading striker, despite his recent move to AC Milan.
Club staff could be forgiven for the mix-up regarding the team.
Callum Wilson, who joined five months ago but is now departing after terminating his contract, was initially set to be on the bench.
Yet by the evening, Wilson’s name was absent from the teamsheet.
Although Wilson scored only four goals during his brief time at West Ham, he was their joint top scorer.
As always with this club, there is no assurance that the two players brought in for a combined cost of £43 million will perform well.
Sean Dyche aimed for an early goal to turn the home fans against their team, but Hammers supporters thwarted his plans by not attending.
Despite the bitter cold and wet conditions in East London, the numerous empty seats were concerning. The attendance was lower than for their home game against Brentford earlier this season, which had been marked by a boycott.
It was thanks to a Forest player that those who did attend celebrated early on.
Crysencio Summerville delivered a corner to the near post, where Tomas Soucek flicked it on, and Murillo, from just two yards out, headed it emphatically into his own net.
At this stage, there were few signs of life from the visitors. Neco Williams had an early effort from distance tipped over, but little else was forthcoming.
They repeatedly surrendered possession alarmingly and were fortunate that West Ham lacked the quality to capitalize on their constant errors.
Despite being out of control, Forest still possessed the talent to threaten any team, and Callum Hudson-Odoi reminded them just before halftime by striking the crossbar after cutting in from the left.
The visitors protested after the break when they weren't awarded a corner despite a shot deflecting off Soucek and going behind.
Dyche was further incensed when, from the goal kick, the hosts surged upfield and doubled their lead, although the goal was disallowed for a narrow offside against new signing Castellanos in the buildup.
However, their frustration would soon dissipate.
Following the VAR review, the Forest manager rallied his team, and they responded.
Four minutes later, after finally being awarded a corner, they equalized, albeit more by fortune than skill.
Elliot Anderson swung the set-piece into the near post, where Dominguez sent a hopeful header that looped into the air, fortuitously heading to the back post and over Kyle Walker-Peters' head.
Nuno responded by introducing £17 million striker Pablo, who drew a save from Matz Sels at the near post on the rebound from a Walker-Peters shot that had also been stopped.
West Ham applied late pressure, with skipper Jarrod Bowen seeing a shot deflected behind by Murillo after being sent through on the counter by young Ezra Mayers, before scuffing another effort wide.
Yet they failed to take advantage of Forest's shaky performance and soon shot themselves in the foot when Areola caught Gibbs-White in the face.
The French goalkeeper rushed out to meet an Anderson free-kick but accidentally slapped the Forest captain, an incident spotted only by VAR, allowing Gibbs-White to strike straight down the middle and secure all three points.
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Eze Chidiebere Paul
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