West Ham missed a huge opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone after a damaging [defeat to Aston Villa](https://www.claretandhugh.info/aston-villa-2-0-west-ham-player-ratings-hammers-get-everything-wrong/).
The Hammers were completely outclassed, with Nuno Espírito Santo handed a tactical lesson by Unai Emery. In truth, West Ham were never at the races against a Villa side that simply wanted it more and looked superior in every department.
It makes the result even more painful given Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. West Ham had a golden chance to move out of the bottom three — and blew it.
Opportunity Missed as Rivals Pull Away
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Forest are now three points clear of the Hammers once again, and it’s hard not to feel that much of the hard work from recent weeks has been undone in one afternoon.
Tottenham, meanwhile, look to be in complete disarray, and questions will surely be asked about how long Igor Tudor remains in charge.The Spurs’ manager’s absence from the post-match TV interview for ‘family reasons’ surely fuels speculation that he’s on his way out of the door.
It feels as though, slowly but surely, West Ham are running out of teams to drag into the relegation fight.
Leeds United’s point from last night now looks even more valuable, adding further pressure on Nuno’s side.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect was just how far off the pace West Ham looked against a Villa team that had been struggling for form.
On this occasion, it doesn’t just feel like a defeat — it feels like a massive opportunity missed.