West Ham have closed the gap on relegation rivals Nottingham Forest following an exciting end to what was possibly the most boring game anyone will care to see this season.
Liverpool beat Forest 1–0 at the City Ground thanks to a late goal from Alexis Mac Allister, who had already seen one effort ruled out by VAR in the 89th minute.
However, the late drama was not reflective of a match in which genuine chances were few and far between. Both sides laboured in attack, despite Forest probably edging the contest overall.
There was little quality on show from the champions, with Mohamed Salah in particular looking a shadow of the free-scoring player who has dominated the Premier League over recent years.
Late Goals Reshape the Relegation Picture
The Hammers were not quite so lucky in the other 2pm Sunday kick-off, where a 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers side almost held on for a draw against Crystal Palace, before eventually succumbing to a late winner.
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Ordinarily, Palace might not be factored into the relegation dogfight. However, they arguably have the toughest run-in of fixtures, so defeat today could have been catastrophic for them.
Fortunately for West Ham, Forest’s defeat means yesterday’s 0–0 draw with AFC Bournemouth now looks very much like a point gained rather than two dropped.
And based on what we saw from Liverpool, there was precious little in their performance to suggest West Ham do not have at least a sliver of a chance when we head to Anfield.