Forest Mindset Shift Helps Nottingham Beat West Ham With Late Gibbs-White Penalty

Nottingham Forest earned a crucial 2-1 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium, with Morgan Gibbs-White converting an 89th-minute penalty to decide a tense meeting between the Premier League’s 17th and 18th placed sides. The result lifted Forest seven points above the relegation places and deepened West Ham’s worries.

The match had started badly for Forest when a Murillo own goal left the visitors behind at half-time. It was the 103rd occasion Forest had trailed at the interval in a Premier League fixture, yet this was only the second time they recovered to win, the previous comeback dating back to January 1997 against Tottenham.

West Ham’s defeat extended a difficult domestic spell. The club have now gone 10 Premier League games without a win,

their longest such run since an 11-match stretch between December 2006 and March 2007. The latest setback also continued a habit of dropping points after leading in matches this season.

Only Bournemouth have lost more points from winning positions in the current Premier League campaign. Bournemouth have seen 16 points slip away, while West Ham have let 15 points go after going ahead. The consequences of those swings were clear against Forest, as Murillo’s own goal again failed to secure a result.

Team	Current winless league run	Points dropped from winning positions (2025-26)
West Ham	10 matches	15 points
Bournemouth	Not specified	16 points

Forest manager Sean Dyche highlighted a change in mindset within the squad after the comeback in east London. Dyche stressed the need to manage pressure, ignore outside noise and adapt within games that rarely follow a perfect script, especially in a tight relegation contest such as Nottingham Forest vs West Ham.

"Well, [I'm] pleased obviously. Pleased with the mentality of the players,Dyche told Sky Sports. 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. 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 was been a shift in mentality, and I am pleased with that. There is still work to be done. My job is to go through that noise and see the facts of it. "

Gibbs-White again delivered under pressure for Forest. The captain drew the late penalty after a challenge from Alphonse Areola, then scored from the spot. Gibbs-White has now scored 22 Premier League goals for Forest, leaving only Chris Wood with 37 and Bryan Roy with 24 ahead, and has converted all four penalties taken in the competition.

Composure. pic.twitter.com/GQTPtTZEADNottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 6, 2026

Nottingham Forest vs West Ham: Nuno’s reaction and fight for survival

West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo accepted the frustration of another narrow defeat in the Nottingham Forest vs West Ham meeting. Nuno pointed to key moments, including a disallowed West Ham goal and the late penalty award, but maintained that the squad must keep belief during a difficult survival battle.

"Very tight margins and a goal ruled out that we had that would put us in front. Then a lot of incidents with the penaltya 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. We have to keep going, keep believing, and keep working. It is not over. 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. "

The Nottingham Forest vs West Ham result strengthened Forest’s position outside the relegation zone while extending West Ham’s pressure at the bottom. Forest’s rare comeback win, their first of this kind since 1997, underlined Dyche’s claims of a mentality shift, while Nuno’s side faced more questions over late-game control and missed opportunities.