Tomas Soucek claims Premier League ‘more like basketball’ after ‘joke’ Morgan Gibbs-White penalty costs West Ham against Nottingham Forest

The Hammers went ahead when Forest defender Murillo scored an own goal after 13 minutes, and Nuno Espirito Santo’s side held onto their lead for the rest of the first half.

West Ham goalkeeper Areola was penalised after he caught Gibbs-White when he attempted to punch a cross away, and a VAR review led to the referee giving a penalty.

Speaking to Sky Sports, midfielder Soucek was clearly unimpressed with the decision.

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He said: “For me, it is a joke. I just saw it again, and I think we can have 20 penalties per game if it is like that.

“I came to the Premier League because I thought it was the toughest league in the world, and we are all fighters and warriors, but this looks more like basketball when you can’t touch the player. This is what I saw.

“(Areola) is the same in the dressing room. He didn’t know who was fouled. He came for the ball. I think I cleared it and that (it) was already out. We didn’t know why there was VAR and then the penalty, so it was tough for all of us.”

The win moves Forest seven points clear of West Ham, with the Londoners in 18th on 14 points, and Forest on 21 in 17th.

Discussing their place in the league, Soucek commented: “I know our position. There is not any more time for nice words. We have so many games, but we have to do it from the first game. Now is the time.

“We have to be winning. Seven points, we cannot just win one or two, we have to win a few in a row. I still believe and will until the end, but I have to say that we are in a really bad position.”

The Czechia international said that he and his team-mates needed to be frank with one another as they assessed the position they find themselves in.

He added: “We have to show honesty between each other. The truth of who cares and who (does) not. We have to do it because if someone is easy to play and relaxed, he has to be out of the squad. We will look in the mirror and know the position we are in and nobody from the squad wants to play second division next season.

“We have to be behind the manager always, until the end. I believe he can be a big help for us because he did a lot through the Premier League already.

“It’s on all of us, Nuno as the manager, us as the players, the whole training ground. Especially for him, I want to keep going and do the maximum. We don’t want them to lose their jobs. All of us, even for the fans, we need to stick together.”

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‘It’s not over’ – Nuno refuses to give up

Manager Espirito Santo was also confused by the penalty award, echoing Soucek’s bemusement.

He said: “It happens so many times during the matches that you get confused about the rules honestly. How many times has this happened and penalties have not been given? So I don’t quite understand.

“Areola goes for the ball, Soucek takes the ball out and then he cannot stop his movement, so hard to explain.”

Despite the disappointment of the defeat, he said that the club would not give up their hopes of Premier League survival.

“We will keep believing and sticking together. It’s not over yet. We keep on going,” he added.

“You know me. I’ll keep on going, believing and working with the boys. Sometimes you have good moments and bad moments, but you need to be resilient enough to understand that this is the game.”