West Ham United 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 18 May 2025, 2.15pm BST
West Ham United bid a fond farewell to four UEFA Europa Conference League heroes on Sunday, but the Hammers will not be sorry to say goodbye to the 2024/25 season.
The careers of Aaron Cresswell and Vladimír Coufal were both celebrated at London Stadium, but their final home appearances – and the imminent departures of fellow Prague champions Łukasz Fabiański and Danny Ings – were tinged with the disappointment of a 2-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest.
Jarrod Bowen’s 12th Premier League goal of the season was a mere consolation, as goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenković in either half clinched victory for the visitors.
Before kick-off, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was named Hammer of the Year, before Sporting Director Mark Noble presented a framed shirt to long-time teammate Cresswell to mark his eleven years of service.
When the game began, the opening period was frenetic, with both goalkeepers called into action repeatedly.
Within the first 100 seconds, departing duo Cresswell and Vladimír Coufal were involved in the buildup before the Czech crossed for compatriot Tomáš Souček, whose powerful header was clawed away by Matz Sels.
Forest’s first two attacks both ended with Areola making saves, the first a strong effort to keep out Gibbs-White’s powerful right-foot shot with his left leg, and the second a more routine stop to collect Elliot Anderson’s shot at the base of his near post.
The chances kept coming and both goalkeepers were forced into action again before the ten-minute mark had been reached,
Coufal, who looked determined to mark his final home appearance with his first West Ham goal, worked Sels at the near post with a left-foot shot, before Areola parried Chris Wood’s powerful 20-yard drive to safety.
But the Frenchman went from hero to villain two minutes later when, in trying to find Guido Rodríguez inside the D, his pass was intercepted by Gibbs-White, who controlled and fired into the vacant net. The Forest captain celebrated with the shirt of teammate Tawo Awoniyi, who underwent surgery after colliding with a goalpost at the City Ground during last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City.
The goalmouth action relented, but not for long and, after a moment of concern when Bowen collided with the post himself and suffered a cut to the eye – Forest’s players immediately signalled for medical attention for our skipper – Wood hit the upright at the other end with a bouncing header.
The final 15 minutes of the half were less eventful, with Mohammed Kudus heading Cresswell’s cross high and wide, then the No3 himself having a backheeled effort blocked by Ibrahim Sangaré.
Cresswell had the first chance of the second half, volleying wide, then Coufal chested and volleyed onto the roof of Sels’ net.
And Forest made West Ham pay again just past the hour-mark when Jean-Clair Todibo conceded a free-kick, Anthony Elanga delivered and Milenković diverted the ball past Areola with his shoulder. A five-minute VAR check for offside followed, before referee Sam Barrott confirmed his original decision.
That goal came moments after Head Coach Graham Potter made a quadruple substitution, and one of the replacements, Carlos Soler, forced Sels into a plunging save before another, Lucas Paquetá, saw a shot charged down. The first substitute, Luis Guilherme, was then denied his first West Ham goal by a block.
Bowen finally got the hosts on the board with four minutes to play, flicking the ball up to himself from a headed clearance before rifling a volley high past Sels.
When the board went up stating eleven minutes added time would be played, hopes were raised of a late comeback.
In the end, after 17 added minutes, during which Niclas Füllkrug saw a header saved by Sels and there was a melee that saw four players booked, the final whistle was blown to confirm the Irons’ ninth home league defeat of the season.
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell (Álvarez 58), Wan-Bissaka, Rodríguez (Paquetá 58), Ward-Prowse (Soler 58), Souček (Füllkrug 58), Bowen ©, Kudus (Luis Guilherme 79)
Subs not used: Fabiański (GK), Emerson, Mavropanos, Ferguson
Goal: Bowen 86
Booked: Coufal, Rodríguez, Paquetá, Todibo, Álvarez, Soler
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Murillo, Milenković, Williams, Sangaré (Morato 83), Domínguez (Yates 90+5), Anderson (Hudson-Odoi 83), Gibbs-White © (Danilo 83), Elanga (90+5), Wood
Subs not used: Carlos Miguel (GK), Toffolo, Sosa, Abbott
Goal: Gibbs-White 11, Milenković 61
Booked: Anderson, Murillo, Morato
Referee: Sam Barrott
Attendance: 62,466
