Coventry manager Mark Robins heaped praise on match-winner Ellis Simms after his side kept themselves in the Sky Bet Championship play-off places with a hard-fought 1-0 win away at struggling Stoke.
Simms, a summer signing from Everton, followed up his goal in the 2-2 draw with Plymouth on Wednesday by settling the contest at the Bet365 Stadium.
The winner came in the 51st minute when Haji Wright caught Ki-Jana Hoever in possession and prodded the ball to Callum O’Hare, who played in Simms to slot home.
Victory consolidates the Sky Blues’ sixth-placed standing on goal difference on 51 points.
“We’ve had to dig in because it wasn’t a great game,” Robins said. “There wasn’t really much quality on show.
“I think really the bits of quality that were on show, Ellis Simms, I thought, was involved in all of them. I think his goal was brilliantly taken.
“I think he’s got confidence from the goal on Wednesday evening, and really they’re not easy those because you’ve got a lot of time to look at it and he found the back of the net really well to complete the move.
“Hadji on the back of him (Hoever) has nicked it from him, Callum O’Hare releases him really quickly and he goes and puts it into the net – brilliant finish.”
Coventry did come agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock early on, with Jack Bonham saving well from Wright’s header via a deflection off Ben Wilmot before blocking Simms’ effort.
The rebound fell kindly to O’Hare, who looked certain to score, but Wilmot – making his 100th appearance for Stoke – was on the line to divert the ball onto the post and away.
“They threw some bodies behind it, but I don’t know how we’ve not scored,” Robins added. “And really, we would have opened the game up then.
“But again, you have to show concentration and it just looked like a really tired performance from both teams because of the amount of games that we’ve got.”
Defeat for Stoke means they have now lost five of their last six games, leaving them in 19th place and just three points clear of the relegation zone.
“I thought it was quite a close game, quite tight,” manager Steven Schumacher said. “There wasn’t a lot in it between the two teams.
“It was just an error that’s decided it, which is obviously disappointing from our point of view.
“But I can’t fault the players’ effort. I thought they gave everything. I think the players who started competed and had to try and keep a really good Coventry team relatively quiet.
“And then I think the subs who came on in the last half an hour gave us some energy and played with a good tempo, but unfortunately that one moment has decided it.”
Despite ending a four-match losing streak last time out with a 1-0 victory over QPR, it’s now just three wins in 19 league matches for Stoke, who face a real battle to avoid the drop.
“It’s important that we don’t lose our belief,” Schumacher added.
“It’s not the end of the world. I understand no one wants to lose games of football. We don’t want to come in here and accept that we lose another game at home – far from it.
“But the fans will accept it if the players give 100 per cent, and they definitely did do that today.”
Birmingham manager Tony Mowbray saluted an “amazing achievement” after his team made it two home wins in a week by coming from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1.
Koji Miyoshi grabbed an 80th-minute winner after Jordan James cancelled out Jack Clarke’s 22nd-minute lead on the hour.
It meant City have recorded their first back-to-back home successes since October and they have climbed to 15th, six points above the Sky Bet Championship drop zone.
“I’m very proud of the group and their desire and determination to work really hard for each other on the back of a landscape of where we are in the league,” said Mowbray.
“After not winning many home games this season, it’s an amazing achievement for them.”
Despite the gap, Mowbray refuses to accept City are safe.
“We’re in a predicament and we’re still in the same position after a couple of teams won,” he added.
“We’re still six points away from trouble but it’s given us a bit of confidence and momentum and the belief that we can win against anyone at home.
“This is what the team needs to know to have that confidence and belief in themselves.
“The team is fighting hard for each other but this was about the supporters and the players on the pitch.
“We gifted Sunderland the first goal but we found a way to score two goals.”
Several supporter incentives meant Birmingham were watched by 27,449 – the biggest crowd at St Andrew’s for more than seven years.
Mowbray said he used the home crowd to spur on the players as they took the game to Sunderland after a lacklustre first-half performance.
“The message at half-time was ‘we will score, and if we score one, this place will take off and we’ll score two or three’, they made it happen,” he added.
“Days like this with a full stadium against a good team with a big support following them show that we can come out on top and win, and we did that together.”
Clarke intercepted Seung-Ho Paik’s square pass to Marc Roberts then raced on to coolly slot past John Ruddy.
James equalised after Miyoshi had two shots blocked when Tyler Roberts’ angled drive had been parried by goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
Miyoshi prodded home ahead of Patterson after reacting quickest to Jay Stansfield’s deflected cross.
Sunderland have not won on their travels since Boxing Day and are currently 10th, five points off the top six.
Their head coach Michael Beale admitted: “Unless we improve our away form it (play-offs) is going to be difficult.
“We have to find a way of getting positive away results because it’s nowhere good enough.
“We’re certainly not giving up on anything with the amount of games we’ve got to go.
“But our away form all season has been a concern.”
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insisted he has no intention of letting speculation over Kylian Mbappe’s arrival at the club take his focus away from the job at hand.
Real are seen as the most likely destination for the French striker, who has informed Paris St Germain he intends to leave in the summer, but Ancelotti was careful not to fan the flames of those rumours.
With his side leading the way in LaLiga and well fancied to secure the title, the Italian coach is more interested in what happens in their away game at Rayo Vallecano on Sunday than what happens in the transfer market at the end of the campaign.
Pressed on the club’s interest in the 2018 World Cup winner, he said: “I see and hear what has happened. I understand that it’s the subject of the day for you, but for us it’s tomorrow’s game.
“Vallecas is always a tough place to play at. It has been in the past and it’ll be a tough game against a team that needs points.
“Do I seem affected or worried (about Mbappe) today? No. It will be the same at the next press conference.
“We have to finish this season well. We’ve discussed the game, we’ve watched a video and we’ve tried to prepare for the game as well as possible.
“It’s a vital game for our season. I’d like to finish this season well and try to win trophies. There’s plenty of time to think about next season.”
While Ancelotti was not keen to discuss the possible arrival of one global star, he was willing to reflect on the reduced role of another: Luka Modric.
The 38-year-old has had to settle for a more peripheral role than he is accustomed to this season and, although he looks certain to leave at the end of his contract, he has continued to make a positive impression behind the scenes.
“A player who is used to playing every game finds it tougher than others to sit on the bench,” admitted the head coach.
“But I understand and respect him. His behaviour is that of a very serious professional who continues to train and fight to be able to play.
“He’s available to play in any game, even tomorrow’s. He continues to contribute in the dressing room just as he did before when he played all the games.
“He’s a highly-respected player and an example of how a professional should be. He continues to be a figurehead for the squad.”
Former assistant Inigo Perez faces a baptism of fire as Vallecano’s new coach, attempting to lift a side who have lost five and drawn one of their last six and sit 14th in the standings.
“Four days are enough to work on an idea and it is not a new project because I already knew them,” he said.
“When it comes to picking up a team in the middle of the season, I’m lucky because I know everything.
“It’s relatively easy. But a team like Madrid demands the maximum from you in all aspects.”
David Martindale insists he will not get carried away despite Livingston finally ending their long wait for a cinch Premiership victory against St Mirren.
Tete Yengi’s goal in added time of the first half was enough for the Lions to claim their first win in 18 league matches.
Livi have now cut the gap between themselves and Ross County to just three points, with the teams set to face each other in Dingwall next Saturday.
“I am happy for the group,” he said. “The group has to take massive credit and I am delighted for them.
“When you are in an adverse situation and every week that hole gets bigger, there is a lot of anxiety and stress.
“The squad and staff have stayed buoyant – they have always been positive and I am delighted for them.”
The Livi boss was thrilled by the display of his goalkeeper Shamal George, who kept out Mikael Mandron’s late penalty to secure all three points.
George has been in and out of the team since the arrival of Michael McGovern last month, but showed his quality in a man-of-the-match performance against Saints.
“Michael McGovern has been a big turning point for Shamal,” Martindale added.
“Shamal has all the ability in the world, he is a great kid, trains impeccably well and I think he needed taken out his comfort zone.
“Michael coming in has done that, it has shown Shamal that if he’s not bang at it in games then he’s probably going to get dropped.
“I thought he was the best player on the park – hopefully that’s him kicked on a bit.”
Assistant boss Diarmuid O’Carroll praised what he beleived was a “brilliant” display by St Mirren, despite falling to defeat at the Tony Macaroni Arena.
The Buddies threw everything at the Livingston goal in the second half as they looked to drag themselves back into the game.
“I thought we were brilliant, it was just one of those days in front of goal,” O’Carroll said.
“We came here with a gameplan, we wanted to get the ball down and play, try create chances, put the ball into the box and sustain attacks – they did that to the letter.
“I think on any other day we win that game based on chances, but credit to Livingston, they battled, they fought and it shows you that they are right there for Davie.”
O’Carroll confirmed that Saints boss Stephen Robinson had been involved in a disagreement with a supporter after the full-time whistle.
Robinson appeared to be led away by Alex Gogic, and his number two insists the gaffer will always stand up for his players.
“I did see it. People are passionate about the game, there’s passion from our side,” he added.
“From a fans’ perspective, you come, you pay your money and you obviously want your team to win.
“We as a collective always go over (to the fans), whether we win, lose or draw.
“People pay their money and they can say what they want – but from our point of view, we can’t ask for much more of them.”
Hearts manager Steven Naismith hailed the improvements his players have made to their mentality after watching them beat Motherwell 2-0 to collect an eighth successive win.
Second-half goals from Lawrence Shankland and Kenneth Vargas sent the Gorgie side 14 points clear in third place in the Premiership.
Hearts have won 11 of their last 12 games in a fruitful spell stretching back to December and Naismith insists there have been vast improvement on and off the pitch in that period.
He said: “There has definitely been a mentality shift for sure.
“We go into every game wanting to win. We understand there are times where we need to take risks and there are times like today where we need to be patient.
“You can’t get sucked into a fight or get frustrated. It’s these wee small things that change the mentality and the progression of the team.
“There is definitely a mentality shift in what we expect from each other and also what we expect the outcome to be.
“Yeah there’s going to be bumps in the road and we will get beat and things like that, but I think we will react to those situations better than we would have a year ago.”
After a nondescript first half, Shankland took his goal tally for the season to 25 when he headed in Alan Forrest’s free-kick in the 67th minute.
Vargas wrapped up the points in injury time with a fine finish from close range.
Despite moving to within 10 points of second-place Rangers – who travel to St Johnstone on Sunday – Naismith played down any suggestion of Hearts catching either half of the Old Firm.
He added: “They’re (Celtic and Rangers) still a bit ahead.
“We will get to April/May and if we are fortunate enough to be close then you can dream.
“But for us, we just need to keep winning games and the gap (to fourth place) will be bigger. We know as a squad but it’s week to week.
“The way we managed the game today, our speed of attack, these are the real markers of progression for me which should ultimately lead to success.”
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell was furious that his players switched off for the opening goal.
He said: “There is real frustration with what feels like our Achilles heel.
“You have the top marksman in the country who is absolutely flying at the moment and we give him the freedom of our box.
“It’s good delivery into our box but, and I said this to the players, you can deal with these moments to 95 per cent of the game at venues like these and you need to be 100 per cent in a game like this.”
Unai Emery lauded Ollie Watkins’ “fantastic” performance after the Aston Villa forward scored twice during their 2-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Watkins’ brace took his Premier League tally to 12 and Rodrigo Muniz scored his fourth in three games as the spirited Cottagers failed to find a late equaliser.
Villa boss Emery lauded the striker’s commitment as he continues his bid to be a part of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad with England.
“He was fantastic,” Emery told a press conference.
“The best action was in the first half where he created a chance for (Youri) Tielemans.
“When he’s scoring, it’s very important for him and for us. I’m very happy with him and I believe his commitment has improved a lot. Defensively in set-pieces he is also very important, I’m very proud of him.”
Fulham came back strong in the second half through the in-form Muniz but Emiliano Martinez and Villa put on a resilient display to protect the three points.
Adama Traore came off the bench late on but Martinez bailed the visitors out with an impressive one-on-one save in second half added-time.
Emery praised the way his side kept composure when reacting to Fulham’s goal.
When asked if he was happy with Villa’s defensive efforts, Unai added: “Yes of course.
“It’s part of the game when you try and stop their qualities and their tactical ideas.
“We were calm at 2-0 but we made some mistakes for their goal. We reacted very well because our mentality was to not complain, keep the game plan and be strong in our structure.
“Emiliano (Martinez) saved it at the end and I think we deserved to win the match.”
Marco Silva admitted his side’s “soft” performance cost them on the day.
The Cottagers boss was disappointed with the defensive mistakes which allowed Watkins to punish Issa Diop in the lead up to his second goal.
“We cannot concede the goals that we did this afternoon,” Silva said.
“We were punished by the second goal, we were really sloppy in the way we defended that and it was a big punch to ourselves.
“It’s disappointing for us. We need to be much more aggressive and not so soft, because wen were soft.”
Cambridge boss Neil Harris was delighted his frontline answered his call for more goals after a 4-0 win at basement boys Carlisle.
The U’s secured their biggest league win of the season as Sullay Kaikai, Sam Levelle’s own goal, Elias Kachunga’s header and Ryan Bennett’s late fourth did the damage at Brunton Park.
Victory saw Harris’ side go eight points clear of the drop zone and cut their goal difference down to minus eight.
“A clean sheet is vitally important and we’re pleased with the four goals,” reflected Harris.
“If we’re honest it could have been six or seven. The boys are disappointed they’ve not scored more goals.
“When I talk about defending as a team and attacking as a team, it’s important for the defenders to score goals as well.
“Stats are important, goals are important with goal difference and things like that.
“After the back of a week of two disappointing results, we’re really pleased. You end up chasing a little bit and look towards the fixtures coming up.
“It’s a strong performance that gives us a lot of belief and confidence.
“I thought Carlisle had to win the game to have any hope about trying to catch us or anybody else.
“The first seven minutes we were a very poor version of ourselves. We settled and the goal helps.”
For relegation-threatened Carlisle it was a sorry seventh straight loss as hopes of survival continued to slip away.
Deflated Paul Simpson said: “It’s probably as disappointed as I have been all season if I’m honest.
“I just felt it was a bit of a capitulation from us after the second goal.
“I thought we started the first half bright. We got in the final third and I sound like a broken record but when we get in the final third it fizzled out.
“We didn’t get tight enough for the first goal. I’ve spoken all season about sending wide players down the line and going into a race with them. We let the wide player do whatever he wants. You have to defend that better.
“The second goal is a horrible one to give away. It’s a mistake and we have to accept that. It’s slippy conditions and the ball slips through the keeper’s hands.
“The third, the recovery runs aren’t quick enough when we give the ball away up the pitch. We aren’t sprinting to get back.
“The fourth is a centre-back having more desire to get on a cross coming in. There’s a million and one things we could talk about.”
Nottingham Forest have appointed Mark Clattenburg as a referee analyst and boss Nuno Espirito Santo wants him to explain the decisions going against his side.
The former Premier League referee, who is currently enjoying a Saturday primetime television slot on Gladiators, will join Forest in a consultancy role.
He attended the 2-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday and saw VAR opt against advising referee Thomas Bramall to take a second look at a Maxwel Cornet challenge on Neco Williams in the penalty area, despite replays showing clear contact.
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Forest also felt they had a clear penalty rejected last week when Taiwo Awoniyi was tripped by Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka and Nuno hopes Clattenburg will be able to give him answers.
“I haven’t seen him yet,” the Portuguese said. “I know the club have done that. What we expect is someone so expert and so good to give us a clear view and an opinion on what is happening.
“Everybody in this room is asking and I am asking myself why (no penalty). I can accept the referee didn’t see it, but when you have VAR it is so obvious.
“What I expect from Mark is to at least give me an explanation and say what is happening.”
Nuno received a yellow card for protesting the Williams decision.
“When it is so obvious, I cannot say anything else than the truth. For me, it is a penalty,” he said.
“The speed of the game, maybe the referee didn’t see it. He is a young referee. But VAR has to interfere and do something because they had time. It took two minutes of checking.
“After you see the image, you ask yourself why. Today the result is different, but last week we were here in sorrow and grief because we expect better decisions.”
Kieran McKenna insisted weekend wins for Leeds and Southampton had “zero impact” on Ipswich after a 2-1 success at Swansea maintained their push for an automatic promotion place in the Sky Bet Championship.
First-half goals from Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin – his 50th for Ipswich – proved enough to beat hosts Swansea, who are now only four points above the relegation zone.
It was Ipswich’s second away win the space of four days and came after second-placed Leeds had won their lunchtime appointment at Plymouth and Southampton had beaten West Brom on Friday.
“I know (those wins) had zero impact on me, that’s the honest truth,” said Ipswich boss McKenna, whose side are a point behind Southampton and three adrift of Leeds with a game in hand.
“Sometimes you worry things like that will infiltrate the group and they will worry about other teams’ results.
“I don’t get any sense of that from the group whatsoever. They share my feeling that they are doing incredibly to be as competitive as we have been at this level.”
Ipswich, promoted as League One runners-up last season, have lost only four times in the Championship and led after 13 minutes through Broadhead’s 11th goal of the campaign.
Chaplin restored the lead soon after Jerry Yates’ first-half equaliser and Ipswich showed resilience to hold Swansea’s improved showing after the break at bay.
McKenna said: “I really enjoyed it. It was a tough game, a proper game and took a really good performance to come out on the right side of it.
“I thought we showed the best bits of ourselves at different stages of the game.
“We played some really brave football in tough conditions and our organisation to limit them to opportunities in free play was good.
“It was an excellent performance, those are the margins we’re going to have keep fighting at to keep coming out on top at this level.”
Swansea’s defeat was their fifth in seven league games under Luke Williams, who was appointed in January following Michael Duff’s dismissal the previous month.
Williams said: “We worked really hard to get back in the game after giving the goal away.
“Then OK let’s stand in the middle of the pitch and cross our fingers. That’s not a tactic.
“We have to improve, we have to play every second of the game.”
On Swansea’s slump that has left them looking nervously over their shoulder, Williams added: “We’ve played Southampton, Bournemouth (FA Cup), Leicester in a row. That was very difficult.
“Take out Leeds (when Swansea lost 4-0) and in the other games we have been very competitive. We need to win the games when we have a really good chance.”
Darren Moore wants to improve his new side’s mentality after his Port Vale reign started with a 3-2 loss at League One relegation rivals Cheltenham.
Vale led twice through Nathan Smith’s header and an own goal from Curtis Davies, but Matt Taylor and Jack Shepherd cancelled each out before Will Ferry struck a 73rd-minute winner.
Former Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield boss Moore, who was appointed on Tuesday, saw his team slip to 22nd in the table and two points from safety.
And he called for more resilience from his players after a disappointing beginning to his tenure.
“It wasn’t the start I wanted,” Moore said. “Our mindset and mentality has to be stronger.
“We had a really good start to the game and at half-time I thought we deserved to be ahead.
“Their second goal was a corner when it should’ve been a throw-in.
“But there were positives. We scored two goals away from home. That’s a positive. And the subs had an impact. That’s a positive.
“What I want to see is a Vale team that are fully committed. The commitment and endeavour was there, but our mindset has to be stronger when we get in front.
“As far as I’m concerned the slate’s wiped clean with all of the players, but we have to learn from this today – and learn quickly.”
Cheltenham’s third straight league win moved them above Vale into 21st and they sit just a point from safety.
Darrell Clarke hailed the talent of Barnsley loanee Shepherd, who scored a stunning second-half volley to make it 2-2 and earn a big milestone in the 22-year-old defender’s career.
“It’s Shep’s first (English Football) League goal and he’s done brilliantly, the kid,” Clarke said.
“He’s come from a non-league background into Barnsley and he is a bit raw, but he’s a winner.
“I could see that in training on Friday because he was on the ‘young’ team in a small-sided game and he was going mad because they didn’t win, so he has that appetite to win.
“That non-league background for him has done that for him and it was a really pleasing strike.
“Barnsley have a decent talent there. We are pleased to have him and he’s reaping his rewards with competitive games.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers called on his players to improve their mentality after Kilmarnock’s late equaliser handed Rangers the initiative in the Premiership title race.
Rodgers thought they had got away with a poor performance as Celtic led through Kyogo Furuhashi’s 32nd-minute header when the clock struck 90 minutes.
But Killie had created several chances and caused problems for Celtic with their pressing and David Watson headed home in stoppage-time after substitute Alexandro Bernabei misjudged Fraser Murray’s cross.
Matt O’Riley was denied several times as Celtic looked for a second goal either side of the break but they struggled to create chances in the final half hour.
Rodgers said: “We lacked authority on the ball, we lacked composure, all the things you need to do to control the game. We looked nervous on the ball and, especially second half, we created nowhere near what we would want to.
“It’s happened too many times over the course of the season. We have played well in spells but then when we haven’t taken our chances and a wee bit of anxiety creeps in, you have to be able to deal with that pressure.
“I have been here often enough and had enough games here as a manager to understand the pressures of taking the ball and dealing with it and we didn’t do that well enough. It’s bitterly disappointing.”
Rodgers, whose side had already lost twice to Killie this season, added: “It is not about ability or technique now, it is about mentality. It is about not letting that man go past you and having that drive and composure to play.
“We saw it the second half, even though we were not under great pressure we kept making it hard for ourselves.”
Rangers were seven points behind when Philippe Clement took over eight games into the cinch Premiership season but the Light Blues will go two ahead if they beat St Johnstone in Perth on Sunday.
Rodgers dismissed suggestions the pressure of the title race was a factor.
“Irrespective of how Rangers play or work, it’s nothing to do with us,” he said.
“It was us giving the ball away and being nervous. That has nothing to do with anyone other than ourselves.
“It doesn’t matter what anyone else does. It can’t be allowed to continue because we’ll get to the pressure point of the season eventually.
“It’s now about the mind game. Physically and technically you’re in a good place so it’s all about the mind now.”
Killie manager Derek McInnes felt his side were well worth a point.
“It didn’t feel like a smash and grab, coming here and defending for 90-odd minutes and then nicking an equaliser,” he said. “It wasn’t that at all.
“We had to suffer first half at times with possession. We allowed the Celtic players that we wanted to have more touches of the ball than some of the other ones. I thought we dealt with their four wide players well.
“We picked and chose our moments to get after them and got our reward.”
McInnes played down first-half penalty claims when Marley Watkins argued he had been taken down from behind by Stephen Welsh.
“Marley’s adamant it was a penalty,” McInnes said. “I’ve seen it a couple of times, it looks the like the defender’s first touch has taken the ball.”
Joe Edwards admitted Millwall are in the Championship relegation battle after a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at The Den.
The Owls were two goals ahead at half-time after a delightful display from Dutch winger Anthony Musaba, who set up Canada international Ike Ugbo before finding the back of the net himself with a composed finish past Matija Sarkic.
The hosts were on the front foot for much of the second half, with Wednesday replacement Ashley Fletcher seeing red for two bookable offences.
However, Edwards’ side are now just one point above the relegation zone in 21st following their fourth consecutive defeat and eighth match without a win.
He said: “Southampton will be a tough game and not to declare an official relegation fight, but we are clearly down that part of the league.
“We are creeping towards that part of the season where it is important we get points on the board.
“Having been there and lived it before, there is no point really getting drawn into playing the fixtures predictions game.
“You never know, we will go to Southampton with absolute belief.
“And who knows, a game like today – which is a should-win in many people’s eyes – maybe the pressure got to us a bit and it ends up being a difficult day, but that could be the turning point.
“That is what football is about, we are not going there to roll over and wait for the next game, we have to go there and find some belief through what is a really really tough period.
“The only way is back in on Monday, stick together, stand up and go and face what is a really tough challenge on Saturday and beyond.”
The result was a huge boost to Wednesday’s survival hopes.
They remain in 23rd but are now just four points away from safety with 13 games to go this season, and manager Danny Rohl was delighted with a win on the road.
He said: “It was a difficult one, we know that coming here is not easy. When I looked at the game against Ipswich, the first 15 minutes I thought Millwall were very strong.
“I think that was the key today, we spoke about making the difference between home and away, I think at home we have had a lot of good performances and good results.
“It was a clear message today, make the difference in every duel and win the second ball.
“I think the two goals we scored were exactly what we wanted, to find the two number 10s and then speed up the game.
“It was great – I would describe today as adult football, if you know what I mean?
“The last few weeks we have spoken about performance away. Today was about taking results, we did well as a team and showed as a team what we have to do in our situation.”
Under-pressure West Ham boss David Moyes said he “wins more” than more exciting managers who could replace him as he defended his position.
Angry fans displayed a banner asking for him to be sacked after they lost 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to stretch their winless run to eight games in all competitions.
Six days after a home humiliation to Arsenal, they went down to goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi as Forest gave their survival chances a shot in the arm.
Moyes guided the Hammers to the Europa Conference League title last season, the semi-finals of the Europa League the year before and regularly challenged the top six in the last three years, but supporters have little patience.
The Scot was staunch in his defence and reminded fans of what he has done at the London Stadium.
“I am pretty long in the tooth, you can never please everybody, it would be hard to say there have been many better times at West Ham,” he said.
“Maybe they want something different, but they would honestly have to say it has been the best times they have had at the club with regards winning a European trophy, the league positions.
“Maybe there would be managers who excite them more, possibly, but the one who is sitting here wins more.
“My response would be to say we are hurting really badly as a team and a manager because we have not had good results for five or six weeks now.
“But this year already we have beaten Tottenham, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, we must not forget there were good times not so long ago.
“We have not been playing well, but there are some mitigating circumstances since January 1, with boys going to the African Cup of Nations, Jarrod Bowen came back from England with an injury and has not been the same since, we have been without Lucas Paqueta as well for most of the time so there are things that have affected us.
“I have seen other teams have similar, Newcastle, Man Utd, Man City before the World Championship, Arsenal over Christmas.
“There is no divine right that West Ham don’t have a dicky period at some point in the season. We are hoping we can get back on it.”
Forest won for the first time in the Premier League in 2024 to give themselves some breathing space at the foot of the table.
They were worthy of their first victory in five with Awoniyi and Hudson-Odoi scoring at the end of either half.
Boss Nuno Espirito Santo said: “We played a good game. We were disciplined and aggressive. The boys worked really hard.
“And when we had the ball, we had good spells. We had good combinations and created chances.
“That was the basic and the most important thing for today, to get those details solved. We had to be practical, pragmatic and compact and aggressive in our own box.
“We needed to control set-pieces and not allow too many, because we know how strong West Ham are in that aspect.
“The players did really well. We have to keep going.”
Mikel Arteta was delighted by his players’ unquenchable drive for more goals and wins after Arsenal racked up their fifth Premier League win in a row at relegation-threatened Burnley.
The north Londoners are in the middle of a tough title tussle and kept the pressure on both Liverpool and Manchester City by running amok at Turf Moor.
Martin Odegaard opening the scoring inside four minutes at embattled Burnley, where Bukayo Saka’s brace was complemented by Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz efforts in a 5-0 win.
Saturday’s five-star performance followed on from last weekend’s 6-0 shellacking of West Ham, leaving boss Arteta delighted by his players’ hunger and drive for more.
“Really happy with the performance, with the result and the individual and collective contribution of each player as well,” the Arsenal boss said. “That was very, very good.
“And the fact that the team looked like it wanted more. It wasn’t satisfied.
“They wanted to score more, they didn’t want to concede a goal. I’m really pleased to hit that consistency.”
Asked if the domination has pleased him more than the goals recently, Arteta said: “Yeah. We want to dominate games and play in the opponent’s half as much as possible.
“I think the threat, the purpose, the activity and the connections of the players are flowing and they really want it.
“We have momentum now and we have to maintain it.
“Now we leave the Premier League, we go to Porto which will be a really tough environment, so just prepare to play well again and be ourselves.”
Arsenal head to Portugal for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday buoyed by yet another comprehensive victory on the road.
Arteta praised confident skipper Odegaard after Saturday’s triumph, so too Saka after the homegrown star scored in four straight top-flight games for the first time in his career.
Put to the Arsenal boss that the forward has the maturity of a senior player despite only being 22, he said: “Yes, we don’t really see it (in football).
“Especially forward players and wingers with that level of consistency and numbers.
“At his age it is something really strange to find but it is not a coincidence when you look at him every single day.
“The way he trains, the way he applies himself, the qualities that he has. And he can do more.”
The heavy loss means embattled Burnley still only have managed five points at Turf Moor this season, leaving them staring down the barrel of relegation.
Burnley assistant Craig Bellamy was in the dugout against Arsenal as Vincent Kompany served a touchline ban and the Clarets boss did not like what he saw from the stands.
“Just not good enough,” Kompany said. “Arsenal were better than us in every department today. It’s a tough one to take on the chin.
“You look back at probably the last 10 to 15 games and we were always able to draw on positives from the game.
“Today’s one you have to take on the chin and probably say less and make sure that you get the energy back in the team for the next game because that’s all we’ve got to focus on now.
“You do get days like this sometimes and when you do and where we are in the league, you get punished and the gap shows then.”
Burnley return to action at Crystal Palace next weekend, when midfielder Aaron Ramsey will surely be absent having left on a stretcher with a nasty-looking knee injury.
“It didn’t look good,” Kompany added. “I can only hope for it not to be as bad as it looked and for him to hopefully have a speedy recovery.”
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