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Nuno responds to sack calls and boos while West Ham fume over two crucial VAR decisions

Nuno responds to sack calls and boos while West Ham fume over two crucial VAR decisions in their defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Sean Dyche’s side staged a late comeback to beat the Hammers 2-1, a crucial victory in their battle to stay up. West Ham took an early lead via Murillo’s own goal from a Summerville corner on the 13th minute.

Forest then struck the crossbar through Hudson-Odoi, before West Ham had a Summerville has a goal disallowed for offside.

Nicolas Dominguez levelled with a looping header from an corner sent in by Anderson corner, then in stoppage time, VAR awarded Forest a penalty after keeper Alphonse Areola’s fist hit Morgan Gibbs-White in the face.

Gibbs-White subsequently converted to end Forest’s five-match winless streak and lifts them to 17th, seven points above 18th-placed West Ham, who are now without a win in 10 games.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo, speaking to BBC MOTD: “Very tight margins and a goal ruled out that we had that would put us in front.

“Then a lot of incidents with the penalty – a tough match.

“I think we did enough things to win the match. The boys worked very hard. I think we did enough to win it.”

On debutants Pablo and Taty Castellanos: “Good, they have settled in with the team. They have qualities and they have come to help.

“We have to keep going, keep believing, and keep working. It is not over.”

Nuno speaking to Sky Sports: “I think we did enough good things to win the match today. The boys really worked hard. We got the advantage, we scored a goal ruled out by fine margins of offside, that was the moment of the game, and a lot of incidents happened, but I’ve got nothing to say about the hard work.

“That was the idea [score early] and the boys did it. We had good combinations and control, we had good threat in attack. It was a good first half. We started the second half well. There was a foul on the edge of the box on Summerville and then that leads to Forest breaking out. This takes the mind out of the players and makes it hard to explain how things happen.”

On losing confidence after the disallowed goal: “No. They kept fighting until the end. We knew how important this match was and the boys did it until the end. We had chances but it didn’t go for us today.”

On the penalty: “It happens so many times during the matches that you get confused about the rules honestly. How many times has this happened and penalties have not been given? So I don’t quite understand. Areola goes for the ball, Soucek takes the ball out and then he cannot stop his movement, so hard to explain.”

On another corner concede: “We scored from a corner also. We have to try to do better but it’s a flicked ball, it’s hard to defend. It’s not about organisation.”

On the mood: “We to keep believing and sticking together. It’s not over yet. We keep on going.”

On the fans: “It’s hard to ask them anything. It’s hard to explain. We understand their frustration and the sadness and we are all the same. What to say? Keep helping us. Again they showed today when the team gives, they give back the support that we need. Today the boys showed that we are here to keep the fight.”

On his belief: “You know me. I’ll keep on going, believing and working with the boys. Sometimes you have good moments and bad moments but you need to be resilient enough to understand that this is the game.”

West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek speaking to Sky Sports: “We wanted to win. We were winning at half-time. It was so close to being 2-0 and then I think we would get all three points but we lost the game. It’s so tough for us because we know where we are in the [table] position.

“I was very happy from the start. We created a few chances and then we scored the goal, so I was happy as I could be with all of it into half-time. Then we scored the second and when it was disallowed, it kept us a little bit down and then it was tough. It’s so difficult to lose by the goal at the end.

“When we scored the second and then it was disallowed and then in a few minutes we conceded for the draw, it was tough for us. Forest had all the joy at that moment, for 10-20 minutes. We just had to keep going because I believed that we would score the goal, the winning goal, and then it was the opposite.”

Soucek speaking to Sky Sports about the Forest penalty: “For me it is a joke. I just saw it again and I think we can have 20 penalties per game if it is like that. I came to the Premier League because I thought it was the toughest league in the world and we are all fighters and warriors, but this looks more like basketball when you can’t touch the player. This is what I saw

“[Areola] is the same in the dressing room. He didn’t know who was fouled. He came for the ball, I think I cleared it and that was already out. We didn’t know why there was VAR and then the penalty, so it was tough for all of us.”

On Forest extending the gap at the bottom: “I know our position. This is not anymore time for nice words. We have so many games but we have to do it from the first game. Now is the time. We have to be winning. Seven points, we cannot just win one or two, we have to win a few in a row. I still believe and will until the end, but I have to say that we are in a really bad position.”

On if the squad still believes: “We have to show the honesty between each other. The truth of who cares and who not. We have to do it because if someone is easy to play and relaxed he has to be out of the squad. We will look to the mirror and know the position we are in and nobody from the squad wants to play second division next season.”

On Nuno: “We have to be behind the manager always, until the end. I believe he can be a big help for us because he did a lot through the Premier League already. It’s on all of us, Nuno as the manager, us as the players, the whole training ground. Especially for him I want to keep going and do the maximum, we don’t want them to lose their jobs. All of us, even for the fans, we need to stick together.”

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche, speaking to Sky Sports: “Well, pleased obviously. Pleased with the mentality of the players. Awkward game for both sides and a lot of noise around the game. To go 1-0 down and stay calm and deliver a second half that can win the game is very pleasing.

“The noise changes quickly, and we have got to change it around quickly.”

On VAR decisions: “We have been on the wrong side of that, of course, things going against us with VAR. But both decisions were right, I am told.”

On the game: “Second half, we started changing the field a bit more. Sometimes you need the rub of the green, and it went our way for a couple of big decisions.

“You can feel the nerves in the stadium. They’re important games, we showed the mentality of finding a way of winning. I’ll take that.

“You have got to find a way and we found a way tonight. There is more to come from this group. You still have to find a way. The game is rarely the perfect game for you. There has been a shift in mentality, and I am pleased with that.

On upcoming fixtures: “There is still work to be done. My job is to go through that noise and see the facts of it.

“By no means a classic, but you have got to find a way of winning.

“These are awkward games. I have been through a lot of these awkward games. I am happy to come out the right side of it tonight and the players just about deserved it.”

 Dyche, speaking to BBC MOTD: “We know we played a lot better than that with the ball, but you have got to find a way to win. You have to earn the right, and we have done.

“A very edgy game. Monday night, no other football on and even bigger with all the noise around it.

“We wanted to come out the right side of it and we have. Very pleased with not only the performance, but the grit and determination of the team to find a way to win.”

On VAR decisions: “I haven’t seen it back, but they tell me they’re both the right decisions. Our reaction to that was very good.

“Once we got the first one, I thought we were asking a lot more questions of what we did in the first half.

“Second half, we asked a few more questions and made it a mixed game and made it a bit more awkward for them.

“I thought Dominguez was fantastic. His team play was out of this world. He is good-natured to go win it, and to go press. A very good team player.”

On pressure building after four successive losses: “Don’t forget we have lost four on the trot and noise built up quickly. With other teams, there didn’t seem to be that type of noise.

“We have got to go again. That is part of the next mentality and the growth.”

Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White, speaking to Sky Sports: “Incredible. It wasn’t a nice game. We knew it was going to be a battle because of the position of both teams. What I liked from the boys is we didn’t give up and we fought till the end.

“Again, we seem to keep conceding straight after half-time. When that got disallowed, it changed the momentum of the game. It brought belief in the squad. Delighted we got the three points.

“We should be starting every game with full belief, but it has not been that case recently. Their goal put us on a downer, but we reacted well.”

On the penalty decision: “To be honest, I got whacked in the face and I didn’t have a clue what was going on. I came to my senses when he said it was a penalty.

“No doubts, I was practicing it yesterday. It was a safety one, but we got the three points in the end.

“It is what we want to do, we want to go into the game believing. We have not got to kick on this year, a fresh start.

“First half we were that one yard off and second half it picked up, and we were good again.”

Twitter users reacted after Nuno responds to sack calls and boos while West Ham fume over two crucial VAR decisions…

@WestHamJoshV: Less than three years ago, West Ham won The European Conference League that should have been the foundation for success and progress at the club. Instead, fans are having to witness the start of the demise of the football club we have supported all our lives. This evening’s defeat against Nottingham Forest has all but confirmed West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League. Absolutely heartbreaking to see what is happening to our club.

@WestHamBubbleFC: Don’t really care tbh. I got slated last week for saying I was actually quite looking forward to the championship. I stand by it. I can’t stand premier league football. VAR kills the enjoyment. Who knows, lower league football might help me fall in love with my club again.

@whuchr: Well PGMOL got what they wanted at least we won’t have to deal with these cunts next season. But it’s worth saying we’re a disgrace, board, manager, players, nothing less than those people deserve. Fernandes and Todibo I like, the rest can fuck off.

@darylwhu: The death of a football club at the hands of 3 crooks.

@cphillips702: Well on the brightside relegation will hurt Sullivan a lot more than the fans, the fans will always be there but Sullivan has just wiped off 500million off the value of the club and it’s nothing less than he deserves

@swoopwing: Championship here we come! Sad day for all hammers fans but none will be surprised because we have seen this coming for a couple of years now. Sullivan and Brady have ripped the heart out of West Ham. Do us all a favour and leave.

@ZaynafamilyMary: The boys tried tonight and the football Gods were against us tonight. It has been previous games they will look back on and say they could have done better and got those precious points. Tonight I can’t be critical of them or the gaffer it was just a sad outcome.⚒️

@WestHamFanTone: Right , get the Portuguese Mike Basset out and get someone like Carrick in and prepare for the championship. The owners of this club need to sell up, abysmal tenure.

@AndrewKane221: 1 point from 4 “must win” games. Irons.

@JakeLoadman: Might sound cynical but the club is finally getting what it deserves. Years and years of complete mismanagement has caught up with the owners. No club is run the way we are run and does well. We as fans don’t deserve this, but David Sullivan and the club ABSOLUTELY do.

@J_Obern9: It’s over. Second goal was vital and we were desperately unlucky it went to Forest. Regardless, can’t have any complaints about us going down, the team are nowhere near good enough. 1 point from the last 4 games, we don’t deserve to stay up.

@MarkHarrison23: Look there’s nothing else you can say. You couldn’t afford to go 7 points behind Forest. You are now 7 points behind West Ham. Ignore whether the refs screwed us or not we also were good enough against a team that has lost 4 straight. Can’t win this what games can you win?

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