Nottingham Forest

We asked for your thoughts after Tuesday's Premier League game between West Ham and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Mick: They tried . It's all you can say. They simply aren't good enough for this league. Not the worst West Ham team ever, but close. The mistakes in possession ran to over 40. The defending utterly chaotic. I'll excuse Jarrod Bowen as he is the only player that could play for a top five club. The rest are League One or lower. Another 14 games of this? Roll on relegation.

Rob: A reasonable performance. We've played worse and won, although not this season. Nuno hasn't lost the dressing room. It's sad to see Bowen s body language - after all he's done for the club.

Matt: Much better performance from the lads. We are looking more like a team and have far more presence in midfield. We were unlucky with quite a few (albeit probably correct) decisions, but definitely a small step in the right direction. New signings looked lively.

Robert: Not enough pressing. Too many long balls. The referee penalised good tackles giving Forest the advantage and he missed the foul on Crysencio Summerville that led to a penalty.

Richard: Gutted - we were robbed. I think this is the pivotal game that will send us down.

Nottingham Forest fans

Mark: Unconvincing again. We'll probably only survive because of there being three worse teams than us, rather than deserving to stay here. Desperately need an out-and-out striker and we're missing Chris Wood badly.

Kris: Truthfully, we shaded it. VAR were on our side and Nicolas Dominguez's header looped in with a big slice of luck. Hopefully this gives us the boost we needed and we can get some reinforcements in to help. In a word - phew!

Simon: Forest just about deserved the win, but yet again were very ineffective in the box. Igor Jesus works hard, is strong and holds the ball up well, but lacks height and pace.

Dave: Massive three points. I'm still not fully convinced by Dycheball and it is a bit worrying that it took the VAR decision to wake us up, but ultimately we got the job done.

Ben: Relief doesn't even come close to describing my reaction to that match. That may well be a season-defining result. But as important as it is, it doesn't hide the fact that Forest are a shadow of their former selves. Will they recapture their previous verve any time soon? It's not looking overly likely.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Reuters

The final whistle celebrations showed how important this victory was for Nottingham Forest.

It has been a tough campaign for them since Nuno Espirito Santo took them seventh in 2024-25, their highest finish in 30 years.

He was sacked in September before Ange Postecoglou lasted 39 days as Forest manager, then Sean Dyche became the side's third of the season.

He picked up 13 points from his first eight games in charge, although four successive league losses had left them only four points above West Ham before Tuesday's game.

Dyche and the Forest fans would have worried the gap might close to one point, despite the visitors playing well in the first half but trailing to Murillo's own goal.

Neco Williams had a 20-yard effort superbly tipped over by Areola when the score was goalless and Callum Hudson-Odoi was unlucky to see his strike bounce off the bar when the home goalkeeper was well beaten.

But Forest scored an equaliser through Nicolas Dominguez within 10 minutes of the second half and had to survive some pressure before Morgan Gibbs-White kept his composure to score the match-winning 89th-minute penalty.

Forest still have plenty of work to do to ensure their own safety, but these three points gives them some breathing space.

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche spoke to Sky Sports after his side's victory over West Ham: "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 have still got 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."

Captain and goalscorer Morgan Gibbs-White also spoke 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."

Did you know?

• Tuesday was the 103rd time Nottingham Forest have trailed at half time in a Premier League game but just the second time they've come back to win - with their other victory coming back in January 1997 against Tottenham.

• West Ham (12) and Forest (eight) have conceded more goals from corners than any other side in the league this season, with both team's opening goals coming in this manner.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back on Wednesday for a selection of your replies

West Ham give a debut to Argentina international striker Valentin Castellanos, who joined the Hammers earlier this week for an undisclosed fee from Italian side Lazio.

He is one of four changes from the team that lost 3-0 at bottom side Wolves, with starts also for Jean-Clair Todibo, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta.

Sean Dyche makes two changes for Nottingham Forest as Callum Hudson-Odoi is in for Dilane Bakwa, while Matz Sels is in goal after John Victor sustained an injury in the 3-1 loss to Aston Villa at the weekend.

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Where has it gone wrong for Nottingham Forest? Well, as usual, there is no easy answer.

We have raked over the chaos of the first few months of the season - and we are still dealing with the fallout.

Sean Dyche had a positive impact in his first 12 matches with impressive results against Leeds United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur while remaining unbeaten in the Europa League. However, the past four league games have seen four defeats and sucked the Reds back into a relegation battle.

Saturday's meek performance against Aston Villa was a far cry from the committed display against Manchester City and you can only hope we see more of that determination in the games to come.

Perhaps the issues we face are still the ones that needed addressing from last season?

And you have to wonder what Plan B is when Plan A looks as bad as it did at Villa Park. Last season we struggled when we went behind, except it rarely happened. This season we often go behind without a response. We can dominate possession or give up possession but still struggle to pose any goal threat.

Players are coming back from injury and there could be a signing or two in the transfer window to strengthen the squad - possibly up front, where Chris Wood has been sorely missed. Ibrahim Sangare will be back from Afcon in a matter of weeks and surely the squad will be in a better place by the time we reach the end of the month?

Upheaval only ever feeds inconsistency and that is exactly what we have got at the moment. Every impressive performance is closely followed by a depressing slump.

Tuesday's match against West Ham will not define the season. But if we ever manage to pull away from the bottom three, the rest of the table is not that far off.

The alternative, however, is all too real.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham will slip seven points adrift of safety if they lose to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday (20:00 GMT) in a game which sees Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo face the club that sacked him in September. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before the match.

Pressure growing on Espirito Santo

Saturday's 3-0 defeat by bottom club Wolves - previously winless - marked a new low for West Ham under Nuno. The head coach had to apologise to Hammers fans who had travelled to Molineux, admitting the first-half display was "embarrassing".

The 51-year-old also highlighted "a lack of effort that is really concerning", questioning whether some of his squad "realise the situation we are in". The Hammers hierarchy certainly do and, even if doubts are creeping in over the wisdom of appointing Nuno, they have sanctioned urgent spending in the January transfer window to give the club a fighting chance of survival.

Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe was an unused substitute against Wolves after joining from Portuguese side Gil Vicente for a reported £21.8m fee, while Argentine forward Taty Castellanos arrived from Lazio on Monday for approximately £26m.

New signings are clearly needed as the managerial change has not sparked an improvement. In fact, since Nuno took charge on 27 September they have averaged fewer points per game than under his processor Graham Potter, also conceding more goals and scoring fewer.

And yet, West Ham are chasing a first top-flight double over Forest since 1968-69, having won 3-0 at the City Ground in August — a result that proved to be Nuno's final match in charge of the two-time European Cup winners.

Should his current side lose on Tuesday, his future as Hammers boss will come under increased scrutiny.

Error-prone Forest must get back to basics

Unlike the Hammers, Nottingham Forest initially enjoyed an upturn in form when Sean Dyche took charge in October, with the Englishman winning four of his first eight league fixtures.

However, he has since lost four in a row and now faces the prospect of five consecutive Premier League defeats in a single season for the first time in his managerial career.

Dyche said after Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa that there have been "good signs" during his overall tenure but admitted "what changes the story is when you put a run together like we have".

Forest's hopes of a result at the weekend vanished when goalkeeper John Victor rashly raced off his line, allowing John McGinn to score Villa's third. Dyche insists his side must cut out those "basic errors", adding "the mentality is there but you can't keep giving yourself a mountain to climb".

The stats support Dyche's view. Forest have committed 22 errors leading to an opposition shot this season – the joint-second highest figure in the Premier League.

And while Dyche's belt-and-braces approach was expected to tighten up the Forest rearguard, it is notable that four of the six goals they have conceded due to errors have come under his watch.

Nottingham Forest have lost four games in a row but West Ham are in even worse shape.

The manner of their defeat at Wolves on Saturday has cranked up the pressure on Hammers manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

West Ham beat Forest 3-0 earlier this season but, unfortunately for Nuno, that was when he was still Forest boss - it was his final game in charge.

How he could do with another 3-0 West Ham win this time, but I do not see it happening.

It is a nightmare for them to be at home, really, because you can imagine what the mood will be like inside the stadium before kick-off.

I don't think it will have improved by full-time, either. I just have a feeling Sean Dyche's Forest will have a bit more nous, and will sneak a narrow win.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nottingham Forest's head of football Edu faces doubts over his long-term future as the Reds continue to endure a turbulent season. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game against West Ham at London Stadium (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Callum Hudson-Odoi might be available for selection having missed out on the defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday.

• Forest are averaging 0.95 goals per game this season while conceding an average of 1.65 and the Reds boss believes his side need to find those "quality moments": "You've got to look at the facts and the stats. At the end of last season, the goals weren't as regular. Pre-season goals weren't as regular. At the beginning of the season, goals weren't as regular. We've actually performed better. But you've got to score goals that win games, not just goals from behind. But the mentality is right to go and do so."

• He added: "[Erling] Haaland was questioned last season - people said he wasn't having enough touches. He looks like he has plenty to me, when it goes in that net."

• On whether Forest resemble a 'Sean Dyche team' yet: "I'm not bothered about whether it's my team in that respect or not, but it's fair to say my teams have been pretty firm and organised. That's something we put in place and it needs constant correction because we've made a few mistakes, which we have been punished for."

• On goalkeeper John Victor's competition with Matz Sels, after his error cost a goal at Villa Park before he went off injured: "There's been a real close contest for them. I've spoken to both of them about it. I thought John had done enough and early on he makes a brilliant save from a point-blank chance. It's very unfortunate for us a big mistake occurred."

• Meanwhile, Morgan Gibbs-White's goal on Saturday established him as the club's top scorer in the Premier League with four but Dyche was clear his team is not just about one player or one specific fixture: "It's about a squad. It's not just about one game though. There's all the games that come after [West Ham] in the league, there's all the Europa games that come, there's the FA Cup game. It's about the whole squad's mentality. I haven't doubted that since I've been here, but we can't keep making the errors we've been making and we've got to cause more trouble in the opposition's final third."

• Dyche dismissed suggestions Tuesday's game against opponents four points behind Forest in the final relegation spot is a 'six-pointer': "It's an easy line to use. I've been in it so many years and we are only just at the halfway point so there is a lot more football to be played either way. It's very helpful to win this game, quite obviously so that's the challenge, go and win away from home."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the latest news over here

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Villa fans

Sam: Solid response to the Arsenal game. McGinn leading in attitude and performance and everyone to a man lifted their game. Great to see Rogers and Watkins linking up again. If they can keep finding one another in the run-in then we'll hopefully stay on Arsenal and Manchester City's tails all the way to May.

Mike: A true team performance with everyone fully contributing and exactly what we needed after the last game. Terrific goals from Watkins and McGinn and decent saves when needed from Martinez at the other end. I don't want to tempt fate but my gut feeling is that a top-four finish is looking a reasonable expectation.

Matt: Not losing the momentum we've created after the result against Arsenal was key to making sure our season didn't fade. Unai is too smart to allow that to happen. Huge three points.

Richard: Villa seem to have a knack of winning games in second gear. Hopefully we will change it up a gear occasionally and really thump the opposition. Forest were dire, particularly in the first half. Good to see Watkins score again. McGinn scored two great goals. Kamara and Tielemans controlled the midfield. All part of Emery's master plan. UTV.

Forest fans

Steve: Another poor display, mainly because of a loss of concentration, which is unacceptable and quickly punished in the Premier League. As for Dyche's comments - not sure which game he's been watching!

Sherman: We hit the self-destruct button again and were lucky that other results went our way. A win against West Ham is now non-negotiable. We desperately need a striker if we are to pull clear of trouble. It was great to see Aina back but my nerves are shredded.

Malcolm: I played amateur football for 40 years mostly at a decent level and I can assure you I didn't make basic mistakes like Forest are making.

Sean: Defeat was expected in all honesty considering Villa's home form. It doesn't make it any less disappointing. John Victor summed up Forest lately in that moment of madness for the third, but hopefully his injury is not too bad. We are clearly missing Sangare on international duty, and next game is absolutely crucial.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Jermain Defo join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 2-0 Burnley

• Wolves 3-0 West Ham

• Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

This time last year, Nottingham Forest were third in the Premier League and good candidates for Champions League qualification.

Fast-forward 12 months and they could be back in the bottom three by Tuesday evening.

Before the game manager Sean Dyche said Forest's form can play tricks on you.

His argument is that Crystal Palace and Sunderland only have one more point [seven] than Forest in their previous six games so maybe their form is not so bad.

But after a fourth straight defeat the prospect of Nuno Espirito Santo returning to haunt them on Tuesday at West Ham is a very real one.

It was a careless loss at Villa Park and Forest need to look at the reality. They must rediscover the form and organisation which saw Dyche win seven of his first 12 games in all competitions.

In the Midlands they were negligent, even before goalkeeper John Victor's rush of blood which gifted John McGinn a crucial third.

They had already switched off, waiting for the whistle, before Ollie Watkins' opener in first-half stoppage time.

It comes following Tuesday's limp loss to a depleted Everton side, and the warning signs are there for Forest.

Sean Dyche spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Nottingham Forest's defeat against Aston Villa: "Very frustrating for us. We delivered the first half as I wished they would until the last moment of truth. Credit to them, really good turn and finish.

"The second goal was a basic mistake and we could have defended better. We scored a very good goal and then gave away another poor goal. You can't give basic errors away to teams like this in the Premier League.

"The mentality is there but you can't keep giving yourself a mountain to climb. Players were switching off to the basics, we have worked on it and shown them but this is the job. I never expected it to be easy when I got here.

On goalkeeper John Victor who went off injured after he was at fault for the third goal: "I think he is injured and he has hurt himself. He knows it is an error but sometimes it happens. Basic errors are hurting us at the moment. We've got a good group here."

On whether there is a pressure to score goals: "They weren't scoring goals in pre-season and at the start of the season. There is a lot of good in the team but you can't keep giving goals away like this."

Goalscorer Morgan Gibbs-White spoke to Sky Sports: "I feel like we stuck to the game-plan in the first half. There were lots of positives to take. I know we need points but we showed a work ethic and desire.

"We always know Villa start with a high press. So the key was to absorb that pressure and silence the fans a bit. We were unfortunate to concede right before half time."

Did you know?

Morgan Gibbs-White's goal for Nottingham Forest was his 50th overall goal involvement in the Premier League (22 goals, 28 assists).

Listen to Dyche's chat with BBC Radio Nottingham here

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara return for Aston Villa as Unai Emery makes four changes from the defeat at Arsenal.

Captain John McGinn comes back to start with Ian Maatsen also recalled.

Lucas Digne, Jadon Sancho and Lamare Bogarde drop to the bench with Amadou Onana out injured.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Watkins.

Subs: Bizot, Carroll, Garcia, Digne, Malen, Hemmings, Bogarde, Jimoh-Aloba, Sancho.

Ola Aina returns to the Nottingham Forest team for the first time since August.

The full-back has recovered from a hamstring injury while Dilane Bakwa also starts as Sean Dyche makes two changes.

Forest, 17th in the Premier League, are aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat after their mid-week loss to Everton.

Nottingham Forest XI: John, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Anderson, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Bakwa, Hutchinson, I Jesus.

Subs: Sels, Morato, Awoniyi, Douglas Luiz, Kalimuendo, McAtee, Zinchenko, Savona, Abbott.

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest (12:30)

• Brighton v Burnley - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wolves v West Ham - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Bournemouth v Arsenal (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brighton v Burnley" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Bournemouth v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

Aston Villa have the opportunity to go second in the table on Saturday (12:30 GMT) when they host a Nottingham Forest side who are winless in their six most recent Premier League away games in this fixture, losing the last five, since a 2-0 victory in October 1994.

Vanquished Villa seek home comforts

All good things must come to an end but Aston Villa's staff, players and supporters could afford to be phlegmatic about the defeat at Arsenal which ended a club record-equalling 11-match winning run in all competitions.

Villa now trail the league leaders by six points after a chastening second half on Tuesday night but, perhaps more pertinently with Champions League qualification in mind, their first defeat in nine league games was mitigated by results elsewhere.

All four teams immediately below Villa in the table failed to win at home in midweek, ensuring Unai Emery's side have a nine-point cushion over fifth-placed Chelsea.

The Villans ended 2025 with a club record 36 wins in a calendar year in all competitions, with 22 of those coming from their 27 fixtures at Villa Park. No side in Europe's top five leagues has a better home record since the start of last year.

Villa have only lost to Crystal Palace, twice, in 40 home games since September 2024 and they're targeting an 11th successive home win for the first time in 36 years.

Key first-team players Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash return after serving one-match bans, while Brazilian 19-year-old right winger Alysson has signed for an initial £8.7m from Gremio.

Forest in need of "killer moments"

A year ago, Nottingham Forest were where Aston Villa are now – third in the table, six points off the top. They began 2025 with a sixth successive league victory but, 12 months on, sit fourth bottom after a run of three straight defeats.

It was a defeat at Villa Park in April which began Forest's slide from third place with eight games remaining last season to an eventual finish of seventh.

Sean Dyche is the club's third head coach since then and unease around the club was heightened by Tuesday's insipid home defeat against Everton. Forest had 70% possession and attempted 52 crosses – their highest figures in a Premier League game since promotion in 2022 – but Dyche lamented his side's inability to engineer "a killer moment".

Goalscoring has been an issue for them all season. Only winless Wolves have fewer goals and a worse shot conversion rate, while no team has failed to score in more Premier League games this season than Nottingham Forest.

Where Dyche has seen hope is in his side's performances against high-profile opposition, saying: "We have risen to the big games." He's right – they've beaten Liverpool and Tottenham, drawn against Manchester United and were unlucky in defeat against Manchester City last weekend.

Nottingham Forest did not have a very good Christmas, losing three games in a row.

Sean Dyche's side had plenty of possession against Everton on Tuesday but did not create many chances and were picked off. That was a bit of a surprise, because of the Toffees' lack of firepower.

Forest are lucky West Ham have been so bad, because that is the only reason they still have a bit of breathing space above the bottom three.

They travel to play the Hammers on Tuesday, so they may prioritise that game and rest players here - it is that time of year where every squad is stretched.

This game is all about how Aston Villa respond to their defeat at Arsenal, however, because they suffered a bit of a thumping.

I don't think this is an easy game for them, but I am expecting them to bounce back and win a tight game.

AI goes for a 2-1 scoreline most of the time and I won't be doing that for every game, but I do think that's how this one will end up.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nottingham Forest want Wolves' Norway forward Jorgen Strand Larsen. The 25-year-old is also on Crystal Palace's radar. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

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