Sam Allardyce

Championship: West Ham 2 Nottingham Forest 1

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Two Mark Noble penalties felled Forest to send West Ham to the top of the Championship for the first time this season.

The Hammers midfielder was the match-winner at Portsmouth last weekend and, once again, he made no mistake from 12 yards as he made it six spot-kicks for the season with a strike in each half, before Lewis McGugan netted a late, late consolation for the visitors.

Certainly, Forest left arguing that both awards were harsh but down West Ham way nobody will be moaning about this lacklustre win that leaves Sam Allardyce’s side in pole-position until Monday night at least, when Leicester City travel to Southampton, who are now three points behind the table-topping Hammers.

Kicking off level with the pace-setting Saints, the West Ham manager made just one change from the side that had won at Fratton Park last Saturday with Sam Baldock replacing the injured Joey O’Brien (hamstring) in a 4-4-2 formation.

But it was Forest – with ex-Hammer Marlon Harewood going it alone up front - who looked more threatening in the opening exchanges, as the unmarked Marcus Tudgay escaped the attention of the sleepy home defence to slice McGugan’s clever, low corner just inches over the crossbar.

Languishing in 22nd-spot, two points adrift of safety, Forest were also dumped out of the FA Cup by Leicester City in midweek and, following that 0-4 defeat, Steve Cotterill had made a quartet of changes as McGugan, Tudgay, Wes Morgan and Garath McCleary each came in for George Boateng, Robbie Findlay plus substitutes Andy Reid and Paul Anderson.

With a dozen minutes on the clock, McGugan also sent a rising shot inches over and then Tudgay fired just past the left-hand post of Robert Green, who was making his 200th league start for West Ham United.

Apart from an early George McCartney cross that whipped across the face of goal, the Hammers had done little to hurt the visitors, although Carlton Cole had been booked on seven minutes following an aerial challenge on Greg Cunningham, who later hobbled away to be replaced by Anderson

Certainly, the pre-match euphoria that had greeted the news that James Tomkins has pledged his future to the club until summer 2016 was subsiding as the home side struggled to make any impression on the visitors, whose five-man midfield was suffocating Big Sam’s narrow diamond formation.

After Cole nodded meekly wide, the stumbling Noble scuffed a low 12-yarder beyond the base of Lee Camp’s left-hand upright, but at the other end, Green was far busier, smothering the sliding Anderson’s close-range shot before then plucking the ball off a stretching Harewood’s studs.

On 37 minutes, West Ham were finally awarded their first free-kick of the game and, shortly afterwards, Camp was eventually called into action, when Jack Collison unleashed a fierce 15-yard volley, which the Forest keeper beat clear to safety.

Seconds before the break, Henri Lansbury replaced Papa Bouba Diop (hamstring) and moments later, totally against the run of play, the Hammers took a controversial interval lead, when Collison’s attempted cross struck the jockeying Guy Moussi’s upper arm and, upon the advice of his assistant, referee Tony Bates pointed to the spot.

Typically, the no-nonsense Noble sent an unstoppable spot-kick ripping into the net to finally lift home spirits but as the teams departed at half-time, the protests of the furious Frenchman and his confounded colleagues continued to fall on the deaf ears of the officials.

Allardyce’s half-time team-talk might have been made easier by that breakthrough but still his side were finding it difficult to repel a Forest side and after the grounded Green denied Chris Gunter with his legs, McGugan then whipped over a corner that struck the inside of the far post.

As the hour-mark approached, though, Collison had the home fans on the edge of their seats with a mazy, Messi-like run, which climaxed with a 12-yarder that was deflected over, off the boot of the last defender standing in the Welsh international’s way.

Shortly afterwards, Lansbury forced Camp to fist his scorching volley high into the nippy East End air before Noble was given another opportunity from the spot, when Gunter handled after misjudging the bounce of McCartney’s ball into the box.

This time, the Hammers midfielder went for precision rather than power with a low penalty that rolled to Camp’s left as the Forest keeper headed in the opposite direction.

Having converted his sixth spot kick of the season, Noble was only inches away from claiming the match-ball with a low shot the flew just wide, while Baldock and Collison both missed good chances from closer range and, although McGugan netted a stoppage-time consolation with a spectacular long-ranger, it was too late to deny the Hammers – who also won 4-1 at the City Ground back in August - their place at the Championship summit.

HAMMERS: Green, Faubert, McCartney, Reid, Tomkins, Noble, Diop (Lansbury 44), Nolan, Collison, Baldock (Hall 78), Cole (Piquionne 85). Unused Subs: Carew, Faye.

FOREST: Camp, Gunter, Cunningham (Anderson 23), Morgan, Lynch, McCleary, Greening (Blackstock 55), McGugan, Moussi, Tudgay, Harewood (Miller 72). Unused Subs: Darlow, Reid.

Bookings: Cole (7), Gunter (85)

Referee: Tony Bates

Attendance: 31,718.