Nottingham Forest stay in the top-four race with a hard-earned win in East London
Two years ago, survival was the storyline. Today, Nottingham Forest are 90 minutes from the Champions League. A 2-1 win over West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday kept their season of overachievement on track, and it felt every bit as tense and important as it sounds.
Forest struck first and early. In the 11th minute, Morgan Gibbs-White did what he has done all season—find space where there shouldn’t be any, time his run, and finish cleanly. The move didn’t need fireworks. One sharp pass through the lines, a clever first touch, and a low strike across goal were enough to stun a West Ham side that started flat and never quite recovered in the first half.
From there, Nuno Espírito Santo’s team leaned into the plan that has brought them to the brink of Europe: a compact shape without the ball, midfielders snapping into duels, and quick, purposeful transitions the moment they won it back. West Ham had territory, but Forest had control. The Hammers swung in crosses and took speculative efforts from range, yet Forest’s back line stayed organized, clearing danger before it turned into panic.
The second half opened with more of the same—West Ham pushing, Forest choosing their moments. Just after the hour, the visitors landed the punch that seemed to end it. In the 61st minute, Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic rose above everyone at a set piece and powered a header past the keeper. It was a classic away-day goal: big center-back, big leap, big moment. At 2-0, Forest looked secure and in command.
But this ground rarely allows a straightforward finish. West Ham finally found a spark, and with four minutes of normal time left, their captain Jarrod Bowen dragged them back into it. He pounced inside the box, finished smartly, and suddenly the London Stadium woke up. A nervy finale followed—loose balls in the penalty area, hurried clearances, and shouts for anything from anywhere—but Forest held their line and their nerve.
The context makes the win even bigger. Forest arrived on 65 points from 37 games, built on 19 wins, 8 draws, and 10 defeats. A tally like that keeps you in every meaningful conversation in May. This result pushes them a step closer to the Champions League places with one match to go, and it keeps control in their hands. They won’t need help if they finish the job next weekend.
For West Ham, it was another night that summed up a stop-start season. They closed the day on 40 points from 37 matches (10 wins, 10 draws, 17 defeats). The home crowd backed them, and Bowen tried to haul them over the line at the end, but a lack of precision in the final third—and some stubborn Forest defending—left them empty-handed.
Forest’s away performance was mature rather than flashy. The back four (and often back five in the closing minutes) stayed compact, the midfield protected the space between the lines, and the front line worked hard to screen passes into West Ham’s creators. It was a classic Nuno road map: keep it tight, take your moments, lean on set pieces, and trust your structure late on. It’s not always pretty, but it wins the kind of games that shape seasons.
Gibbs-White remains the team’s attacking compass. His early goal was the headline, but his off-ball work—pressing triggers, clever angles, tracking runners—mattered just as much. Milenkovic delivered the set-piece punch that separates top-four sides from almost-there sides in close matches. And when the game turned chaotic in the final minutes, Forest’s collective game management showed up: slow the tempo when needed, reset the line, and clear with purpose instead of panic.
Zoom out, and the story is even sharper. Forest are two-time European champions, but a place in the modern Champions League would be new ground for the club since the competition’s rebrand in 1992. That’s the scale of what’s on the line. From a squad built on a mix of established Premier League talent and smart additions, to a manager who thrives on structure and discipline, this has been a season of identity taking shape in real time.
West Ham’s year, by contrast, has been about missed moments. The late push on Sunday showed fight, but the 86th-minute lifeline came too late to rescue points. They had spells of pressure and a couple of half-chances, yet the final ball lacked edge until Bowen found it himself. Their home form has sagged when they’ve needed a surge, and days like this one underline the gap between effort and execution.
Back in the away end, it was pure catharsis at full-time—flags up, scarves out, players applauding, and that familiar sound of May optimism. Forest fans have lived through the grind of tight relegation battles and the churn of big turnover windows. Now they’re living a run-in that matters for a different reason: reaching Europe’s top table.
What comes next is straightforward in concept, messy in practice. One final fixture, Champions League places separated by thin margins, and little room for nerves. Perform like they did for 80 minutes in London—sharp, compact, ruthless on set pieces—and they will like their chances. Switch off, even briefly, and weeks of good work can slip away in seconds. They know that. Sunday’s closing minutes were a useful reminder.
There was also a sense of balance to this performance that will please Nuno. The workload was shared. The defensive line stayed connected, with the full-backs tucked in when needed. The midfield kept tight distances and supported both transitions. The forwards didn’t just chase lost causes; they pressed in coordinated bursts and picked their moments to keep the ball. These are small things, but small things add up when the stakes are this high.
And the moments that define seasons? Forest had two of them in East London. Gibbs-White’s early strike changed the game state and forced West Ham to chase. Milenkovic’s header gave Forest the cushion that ultimately survived a late punch. Between those goals there was a lot of the unglamorous work that wins you Premier League points: tracking back, body-on-the-line blocks, simple passes to kill pressure, and a willingness to take the sting out of the crowd.
What it means, what stood out, and what to watch on the final day
Meaning: Forest remain in control of their Champions League bid. With 65 points from 37 matches, they enter the last weekend right in the pack, and their destiny is still theirs to shape. A single win could be enough. Anything less pulls in tiebreakers and other results—no one wants to live like that.
Standouts: Gibbs-White’s composure in the 11th minute set the tone, while Milenkovic’s set-piece threat decided the margin. The back line absorbed pressure under the lights and saw out a rattling final stretch. The midfield did the running that rarely makes highlights but always makes a difference.
West Ham takeaways: The response came late, but Bowen once again showed why he wears the armband. They needed that spark 20 minutes earlier. Their season has lurched between promising spells and costly lapses; the league table tells the story plainly.
The intangible: belief. Forest looked like a side that knows how to win this kind of game. They didn’t chase chaos; they managed it. That confidence can carry a team through a nervy final day as much as tactics or matchups.
- Key moment 1: 11’ — Gibbs-White finishes low across goal for 0-1.
- Key moment 2: 61’ — Milenkovic rises at a set piece to make it 0-2.
- Key moment 3: 86’ — Bowen pulls one back, forcing a frantic finish.
So the table tightens, the margins shrink, and Forest head into the final game with something rare and precious: clarity. One more complete performance, and a club with European history could finally step into the Champions League era it helped inspire decades ago.
