Nottingham Forest have made a formal complaint about the officiating during their 2-1 Premier League defeat to Manchester City.
Forest head coach Sean Dyche thought Rayan Cherki’s 83rd-minute winning goal should not have been in the stands due to a foul on Morgan Gibbs-White, and City defender Ruben Dias deserved a red card in the second half for a second offence.
To better understand referee Rob Jones’ decisions, Forest asked England’s official body for professional referees, the PGMO, to provide audio of the conversations between the referee on the pitch and the VAR team at key moments of the match.
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Watch for free: Premier League highlights from Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City
VAR does not have the power to intervene for a second yellow violation and prevented officials from intervening in Diaz’s situation.
Dias was booked for dissent in the first half, but avoided a second yellow by bringing down Forest striker Igor Jesus, who burst forward shortly after the restart.
“They say it was an accident. If it was an accident when he ran in front of goal, we all know what would happen. He would be given a red card. So why is it an accident and he doesn’t get a yellow card?” Dyche said.
“I think it’s strange, I really do. And I think these are simple things. Just give him a second yellow and that’s it. ‘Here we go.’ I’m completely stunned.”
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Sean Dyche explains why he criticized officials’ decision-making in Man City defeat
Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher said on Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch that Dias should have been sent off, but disagreed with Dyche on City’s winner.
“It doesn’t matter whether it was an accident or not. That was my second yellow card. It was a promising attack.”
This is the second formal complaint Forest have lodged with the PGMO this month, saying James Tarkowski should have been sent off during Everton’s 3-0 defeat at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Forest’s raising of this issue could start a wider discussion about refereeing in the league this season, and provide answers to key questions in recent matches.
Reference watch: Why Diaz should have been sent off
Incident: Ruben Diaz avoided a second yellow card 18 seconds into the second half after being penalized by referee Rob Jones for a foul on Igor Jesus…
Dermot: “I feel bad for him (Sean Dyche). I think it was the second yellow card. Dias brings him down.
“It doesn’t matter if it was an accident or not. That was my second yellow card. It was a promising attack.
Jay Bothroyd: “Anywhere else on the field, it’s an accidental challenge. I don’t think they should be given a yellow card, but Dermot explained that it stopped a promising attack.”
“I understand that part now. He should have been given a yellow card because it’s a promising attack. Sean Dyche is right.”
Should City’s winner have been refused entry?
Incident: Sean Dyche was not happy that Nico O’Reilly was not given a foul when he combined with Morgan Gibbs-White in the build-up to City’s late winner.
Dermot: “There are two clues here. Gibbs-White pinned[O’Reilly’s]arm and that’s why O’Reilly went down. He went down himself.”
“If anything, he fouled O’Reilly. There was no foul from a City player, so there’s no reason not to disallow the goal.”
Jay Bothroyd: “I don’t think that’s the case here. He broke his foot and tried to fool the referee into giving him a free-kick. When Sean Dyche looks back at this, he’ll see Gibbs-White trying to fool the referee.”
“O’Reilly doesn’t even punish him, he’s marking him from behind. He gets grabbed by the arm and goes down. He’s stuck.”
