(Ings 70′, 73′, Flight 78′, Antonio 85′)
LONDON STADIUM. Danny Ings opened his West Ham scoring when he scored twice in his first start for the Hammers to ease the pressure on David Moyes and easily put Nottingham Forest back in the Premier League relegation battle.
West Ham were ahead for most of the game but lacked the finishing touches until poacher Ings made two crosses in three minutes.
Declan Rice’s curler then put the game beyond doubt before Mikhail Antonio headed four to send the Hammers out of the relegation zone in the second half to 16th. It also arguably supports Moyes as his players show a united front in this fight to stay in the top flight.
A month after the El Sakiko encounter that ended up costing Frank Lampard his job at Everton, Moyes found himself at home in a seemingly unbeatable game.
West Ham were in the relegation zone ahead of the game, two points ahead of Southampton in Matchday 20.e and five behind Nottingham Forest at 13e.
And in their quest to break out of the relegation zone, West Ham, who made four substitutions in the game, began to pressure Forest early in wave after wave of attacks.
Jarrod Bowen in particular looked brisk but was thwarted by Felipe’s block and then by teammate Angelo Ogbonna, who ignored the striker’s cries as he crept forward and attempted a throw-in.
Amid a flurry of corners – West Ham scored five corners in the first 15 minutes – they had their best chance for the first few substitutions when Lucas Paqueta’s flat rebound through the box blasted Ings and then Felipe before hitting the post.
Forest turned the tide and created a couple of half-moments, but the game went to a scoreless break with neither side having a chance to speak.
West Ham Player Ratings vs Nottingham Forest
West Ham: Fabiansky 6; Johnson 6, Ogbonna 6, Agerd 6, Kufal 6; Soucek 6, Fig 8, Pack 7; Benrahma 6, Bowen 8, Ings 8. Subtitle: Cresswell 6, Areola 6, Lanzny 6, Antonio 7, Fornals 7.
Nottingham Forest: Navas 6; Williams 6, Worrall 6, Felipe 5, Lodi 6; Freiler 5, Shelvy 5, Kolbak 6; Gibbs knows 6; Wood 5, Johnson 5. Subtitle: Ayew 6, Toffolo 6, Lingard 6, Surridge N/A
Ten minutes into the break, Bowen hit the center post just before Paqueta’s shot flew wide, a game that woke the London Stadium from a slumber that had been eventful for the previous half hour.
Excitement turned to disappointment when West Ham failed to deliver on this promise, and Forest subsequently saw a penalty waived after a Renan Lodi shot hit Ben Jonson’s arm from close range in the box.
After a long delay, Lukasz Fabianski was substituted after Felipe crashed into the goalkeeper, leaving him with a quick black eye.
Immediately after the delay, West Ham took the lead, with Ings holding onto Bowen’s pass after initially starting in his own half.
“That’s a goal,” West Ham’s announcer roared somewhat sarcastically over Tannoy after a brief offside VAR check, and just a minute after that check the hosts doubled their lead.
This time Saeed Benrahma did a great job down the left flank and once again Ings intercepted the ball under pressure from Lodi.
A third goal soon followed, and it was the best ever, as Rice lifted the stadium’s proverbial roof with a beautiful shot from the edge of the penalty area.
It was time for the fourth as Antonio came off the cross from substitute Pablo Fornals and headed the ball.
Moyes: I’m having a glass of wine tonight
Moyes praised Ing’s poaching instincts and insisted that he wanted to build on Saturday’s result as he enjoyed his evening at first.
“How long have I been waiting for this? It was fun today,” he said. “It looked like we were going to score another day, but we played well in the first half. We definitely played better in the second half, and when we got the second half, I thought, ‘I’m starting to see the team West Ham that I saw last year.”
“(About Ings) We need someone who understands [poaching]where its runs should be. These are the goals you want to see from centre-forwards, not always clean. Glory to him.
“I have really good support behind the scenes, incredible support. There was a lot of noise, but not behind the scenes. Sometimes you need good owners to stay at work for a long time.
“I don’t come here with a bottle of champagne and I don’t think everything is tasteless, but I am very happy and will have a glass of wine tonight.
“Home form is improving and hopefully we can continue like this.”
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.