What the papers say: Nottingham Forest v West Ham United

Goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi gave Nottingham Forest a 2-0 win over West Ham United at the City Ground. Here’s what the national newspapers had to say

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The Guardian

When even your own fans are chanting “You’re getting sacked in the morning” and “Boring, boring West Ham” then a crisis point appears to have been reached.

Kalvin Phillips was sent off as David Moyes’s hold on his job took another dent though the West Ham manager gave a measured defence afterwards. Six days after losing 6-0 at home to Arsenal, the West Ham manager’s gamble in placing faith in the England midfield player, on loan from Manchester City, is backfiring badly.

Moyes, whose contract expires in the summer, saw Phillips sent off for two bookable offences after Taiwo Awoniyi had opened the scoring for Nottingham Forest, who gained their first three-point return of the calendar year to move five points clear of the relegation zone. That goal came in the fifth minute of first-half added time and Callum Hudson-Odoi tapped home the clinching goal in the fifth minute of additional time at the end of the game.

The Times

David Moyes had urged his players to do their “duty” and deliver a response to last week’s 6-0 defeat by Arsenal, but all the West Ham United manager got was a lacklustre effort compounded by a red card for Kalvin Phillips, whose nightmare start to life as a West Ham player continued.

Taiwo Awoniyi’s exquisite strike, his sixth of the season, gave the home side a deserved victory to help ease their fears of being dragged deeper into a relegation battle and increased the pressure on Moyes. Despite delivering a European trophy only eight months ago, this fractious display will do little to silence those who criticise his pragmatic brand of football. Although, in Moyes’s defence, he could hardly look to entertain after Phillips’ needless dismissal for two yellow cards in the space of three minutes, while Nottingham Forest’s second goal — scored by Callum Hudson-Odoi — came right at the death.

The Telegraph

Towards the end of another chastening afternoon for West Ham, a “Moyes Out” banner was unfurled in the away end where the majority of supporters had already long departed.

These are increasingly perilous times for David Moyes, whose future as manager is in serious jeopardy after their winless start to the year continued.

It was another excruciating experience, with loan signing Kalvin Phillips sent off after two cautions within two minutes and 56 seconds, as West Ham became the first team since November 5 to fail to score against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

Where was the expected response after the 6-0 battering at the hands of Arsenal last weekend? Nowhere to be seen, and the reaction from Moyes’s players to such a humiliation does not suggest the situation will improve quickly.

The Independent

Nottingham Forest won for the first time in 2024 and boosted their Premier League survival chances with a 2-0 success over West Ham, who had Kalvin Phillips sent off.

Forest were teetering just two points above the drop zone after a run of four games without a victory, but goals in added time in either half from Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi put that right against an out-of-sorts Hammers.

Awoniyi struck before the break with a fine finish while Hudson-Odoi converted from close range at the death to give themselves a bit of breathing space at the foot of the table.

They are far from out of danger, though, especially with a possible points deduction for breaking Premier League financial rules hanging over them, but this should boost their confidence.

The Mail

By the time the banners came out in stoppage time, West Ham fans had long since made their feelings known about David Moyes and those who run their club.

As their team slipped to defeat at Nottingham Forest, the message from the away end was simple: ‘Moyes out’ and similar was aimed at West Ham’s owners – ‘GSB (Gold Sullivan Brady) Out’.

Earlier there had been chants of ‘Sacked in the morning’ and ‘Boring, boring West Ham’ during a display summed up by a red card for Kalvin Phillips for two avoidable bookings in the space of three minutes. Phillips’ rotten performance summed up that of his team.

Moyes then dramatically called it on with Hammers supporters by suggesting they preferred entertainers to winners.

The Sun

Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi piled the pressure on under-fire West Ham boss David Moyes as they secured Forest’s first win of 2024.

The Nigerian striker struck with the last kick of the first half to turn the heat up on the beleaguered Scots boss.

And Hudson-Odoi finished the job five minutes into second-half stoppage time as the 10-man East Enders collapsed.

Moyes’ misery was completed when Kalvin Phillips continued his Hammers horror show when he was sent off for a second bookable offence midway through the second half.

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