Weakened West Ham crushed 5-0 by Nottingham Forest in third-round shock in FA Cup

MANCHESTER, England – West Ham’s gamble of playing a team full of youngsters and reserve players backfired spectacularly when the Premier League struggler was thrashed 5-0 by second-tier Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.

With his squad hit by injury and the first leg of a League Cup semifinal against Manchester City to come on Wednesday, West Ham manager Sam Allardyce fielded an unrecognizable starting XI that was humbled at The City Ground.

Djamel Abdoun’s goal gave Forest a 1-0 lead at halftime before Jamie Paterson scored a hat trick and Andy Reid completed the humiliation with the fifth in injury time.

West Ham’s lineup further highlights the FA Cup’s increasing lack of appeal in the eyes of many top clubs but Allardyce made no apologies, even though the humiliating result will pile the pressure on him after his team’s poor start to the season. West Ham is next to last in the Premier League after 20 games.

“We had a huge amount of problems in terms of the available members of the squad so I’ve got to keep them intact, that’s a major priority,” Allardyce said.

“Many, many managers have changed the team in all divisions, but my changes had to be severe. I didn’t want it to be but it had to be.”

Later Sunday, third-tier Oldham looks to beat Liverpool for the second straight year in the world’s oldest club knockout competition, Chelsea visits second-tier Derby and Manchester United hosts fellow Premier League side Swansea.