Danny Ings scored a brace to help West Ham produce one of the comprehensive football results of the weekend in the Premier League. With 20 minutes remaining and the game poised at 0-0, tensions were rising inside the London Stadium, but Ings’ close-range finish – his first goal since joining West Ham from Aston Villa for £15 million in January – radically transformed the direction of West Ham’s season. Only two minutes later, Ings scored again, this time from within the six-yard box, before Declan Rice netted his second goal of the season with a superb curling effort from 25 yards. There was still time for substitute Michail Antonio to score, capping a 15-minute period in which Forest utterly surrendered. The win moves the Hammers out of the Premier League relegation zone, two points above safety, while Forest remains 13th but is only four points away from relegation.
On what felt like a crucial day in the season, the Hammers were led out by his three great-grandchildren on the 30th anniversary of former England and West Ham captain Bobby Moore’s death. Despite failing to score, West Ham dominated the first quarter, winning nine corners and having 19 touches in the Forest box. The closest they came to scoring was when Felipe turned a cross against his own post, while Ings was unlucky on a couple of occasions within the Forest box when the ball did not fall for him.
Brennan Johnson, Forest’s main creative spark, requested a penalty shortly before halftime after being clipped by Ben Johnson, but referee Jarrod Gillett waved it down. Following the break, Aaron Cresswell’s corner was met by Tomas Soucek at the near post, but his glancing header sailed just beyond. Then, after a clever move involving Lucas Paqueta, Ings, and Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen slammed a low shot into the foot of the post. When Felipe caught Lukasz Fabianski on the side of the head, the Hammers had to make a change in goal, with Alphonse Areola replacing him.
At this time, Forest was settling into the game, but West Ham took the lead when Bowen drove the ball low across the goal, where it was beautifully guided in by Ings (70), who was level with the Forest offside line. When the London Stadium began to fill up, Ings (73) scored his second goal, another poacher’s shot from Benrahma’s cross into the six-yard box. In the 78th minute, Rice (78) got in on the act, collecting Benrahma’s cut-back and curling a beautiful effort over Keylor Navas and inside the far post. With Forest befuddled by West Ham’s onslaught, former player Antonio (85) sprang from the bench to score 4-0.
“How long have I been expecting that? It was pleasant. We played well in the first half, and it could have been another day without a goal. After we got the second goal, I started to see West Ham from last year. Today was full of wonderful events,” West Ham boss David Moyes said. “The key thing is that I have amazing support behind the scenes. There is a lot of noise, but there has been no noise behind the scenes, and I have been able to get back to work. To stay in a work for a long period, you must have good bosses. I’ve been blessed to have excellent owners at Preston, Everton, and West Ham. I’m not walking in here with a bottle of champagne thinking everything is fine, but I’m going to have a good time. So why not? I’ve had many horrible days. It’s just the beginning for us.”
“It was a letdown. West Ham possessed set pieces and territory, but I didn’t believe we were in danger of losing. We handled it admirably. We then started the second half strongly and gained momentum,” Nottingham Forest Steve Cooper said. “The anxiety was palpable in the stadium. We discussed it and attempted to convert it in our favour, but we conceded a terrible goal. But what transpired between the first and third objectives was impossible to understand. That was inappropriate in many respects, especially in terms of focus and decision-making. We must confront these issues.”
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