Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo expects to see a reaction from West Ham when the sides face off on Saturday, following the Hammers’ miserable 6-0 loss to Arsenal last week.
West Ham were thrashed by the Premier League title contenders on home soil last Sunday, with thousands of Hammers fans leaving early after the Gunners raced into a 4-0 half-time lead.
That result led to renewed criticism of the team’s direction under David Moyes, who will be demanding a response when they visit the City Ground to face Forest on Saturday.
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With Nuno’s team scrapping for points at the wrong end of the table, the former Wolves boss is not taking West Ham lightly.
“They are a good team. The table shows it,” he said on Thursday. “What happened before, there will be a reaction. We’re going to face a good team with good players and a good manager.
“We know how hard it is to play West Ham but we have to focus on ourselves. At the moment, we must do better so that we can win the game.”
Full-time. pic.twitter.com/EnalwExaxN
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 11, 2024
Forest were beaten 3-2 by Newcastle United in a thriller last time out, a result which left them just two points clear of 18th-placed Everton.
Nuno was incensed by Anthony Taylor’s failure to award a penalty when Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi appeared to be fouled by Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka in that game, but he says the strugglers cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves.
“We have to overcome the disappointment,” Nuno said. “We had a nice game, we played well. I think that decision of the penalty changed everything, but we have to focus on what we can control.
“If we keep improving a lot, decisions will come and change, it’s about momentum. Everybody is aware it was a bad decision. Now it’s over. Let’s focus on what we have to do.
“We had a good week, the players have been working well and it has given us the chance to recover some players and give them some proper rest after such a busy schedule.”
Hosting the Hammers.#NFOWHU ???? pic.twitter.com/EWv06QcKNU
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 15, 2024
