Morgan Gibbs-White’s Late Penalty Seals Vital Win in Relegation Battle.

Nottingham Forest vs West Ham, Gibbs-White penalty

Nottingham Forest delivered a massive blow to West Ham’s survival hopes with a thrilling 2-1 comeback win at the London Stadium on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

The visitors fell behind early when Murillo glanced a header into his own net from Tomas Soucek’s flick-on in the 13th minute – a fortunate breakthrough for the Hammers from a corner.

West Ham thought they had doubled their lead through Crysencio Summerville’s powerful strike, but VAR controversially ruled it out for a tight offside in the build-up.

Forest capitalised on the reprieve, equalising in the 55th minute when Nicolas Dominguez looped a header into the far corner from Elliot Anderson’s corner, exposing more set-piece frailty from the hosts.

The decisive moment came late when goalkeeper Alphonse Areola clattered into Morgan Gibbs-White while punching clear. After a VAR review, Gibbs-White stepped up to drill the penalty home, sparking jubilant scenes.

The result lifts fourth-bottom Forest seven points clear of third-bottom West Ham, who are now winless in 10 games and staring at relegation trouble under Nuno Espirito Santo – the former Forest boss.

A freezing night saw swathes of empty seats at the London Stadium, reflecting fan discontent with the Hammers’ form.

Under Sean Dyche, Forest ended a run of defeats and boosted their survival bid dramatically.