Gio Reyna still can't get a game! USMNT star an unused substitute as Nottingham Forest earn massive win over West Ham

Toward the end of a fairly even first half, Forest sent shockwaves through the stadium, scoring deep in stoppage time to send the home fans wild.

The goal came from Taiwo Awoniyi with an assist from Nicolas Dominguez, but it was the former who did all of the hard work to shield off a defender and finish to seize the lead. Forest's job got a bit easier late on when Kalvin Phillips picked up two yellow cards in quick succession, leaving the Hammers down a man as they fought for their comeback. That comeback was officially killed off in stoppage time, when a Callum Hudson-Odoi goal sealed the win to make it 2-0, bringing all three points to Forest.

With the win, Forest put a little breathing room between themselves and a relegation place. They now sit five points above Everton, who sit in 17th-place but have a game in hand. As things stand, Crystal Palace and Luton Town are also sandwiched between them, but those two could also get points with games in hand as well.

Reyna hasn't really gotten a significant runout since joining Nottingham Forest, having been exclusively used off the bench in his two appearances. Because of that, the fact that he wasn't named to the XI wasn't totally surprising. What was, though, was the fact that he never came on altogether.

Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo made three substitutes in the match, bringing on Ryan Yates, Divock Origi and Andrew Omobamidele. The fact that Forest were up a goal and up a man likely contributed to the coach's decision not to throw on Reyna, an attacking player, as Forest looked to see out a result.

Still, it will have been frustrating for Reyna to not play, particularly because this move was engineered solely to get him more minutes.

As for the other American, Matt Turner, his hopes of playing seem all but gone as he remains locked in to the No. 2 role at Forest.

Nottingham Forest will face a tough test next week as they continue their Premier League fight with a visit to Villa Park to face Aston Villa. After that, the FA Cup is next up on the schedule as Forest will then play host to Manchester United in the competition's fifth round.