CAPITAL STRAINS

Areola shocker hands it to Forest as Hammers slip further into relegation mire

- BY PATRICK AUSTEN-HARDY

WEST HAM let another lead slip to slide further into the relegation mire in a costly late defeat to Nuno Espirito Santo's former side Nottingham Forest.

The loss extends the Hammers' winless run to nine matches and leaves them seven points deep in the relegation zone.

With Sean Dyche’s side perched in-between the Hammers and those dreaded dotted lines, this was a vital six-pointer in the relegation battle, despite there being 17 matches left to play.

Nuno's final fixture before his sacking by Forest was a 3-0 home defeat to Graham Potter's West Ham. The man who scored the third goal, Callum Wilson, was absent amid reports the east Londoners are about to cancel his contract.

Instead, it was January arrival, Taty Castellanos, a £25.2million signing from Lazio, who led the line, while fellow post-Christmas arrival Pablo Felipe - a £22m purchase from Portuguese side Gil Vicente - started on the bench.