“We are very disappointed” West Ham Boss fumes out frustration towards red card issued on Key Player that aided brutal loss to Forest.
Julen Lopetegui urged his team to step up after their 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. Goals from Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Ola Aina secured a decisive win for Forest at the City Ground.
Lopetegui highlighted Edson Alvarez’s red card as the game’s turning point. Alvarez received a second yellow after a reckless tackle on Anthony Elanga, which left West Ham down to ten men. To add to the drama, Alvarez initially walked toward the corner flag after his dismissal instead of heading straight to the tunnel.
This defeat is another setback for Lopetegui, who had just led his team to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United the previous week. With only three wins from their first ten Premier League games, West Ham’s season has fallen short of expectations, especially following significant summer spending after David Moyes’ departure.
“We must do much better,” Lopetegui stated. “You can prepare the team, but players must make the right choices, and we need to keep all eleven on the pitch. It’s a situation we could have avoided, as there was no immediate danger, and we had plenty of players back.
“It gave the opponent a big advantage, especially with so much time left. It changed the game, as they were ready to counter-attack. In the second half, we tried to stay composed, but the second goal made it harder. Tonight is tough for us.
“We apologize to our fans; we’re disappointed and must use this experience to push forward and focus on the next challenge.
“Even when you seem in control, you must avoid the counter-attack and defend crosses better. They scored from one such opportunity, making it harder for us to respond.”