Nottingham Forest’s Premier League clash with Liverpool ended with angry and unusual scenes following Darwin Nunez’s 99th-minute winner at the City Ground.
Forest coach Steven Reid was shown a red card, owner Evangelos Marinakis tried to question referee Paul Tierney in the tunnel and there was an unconventional media briefing from ex Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg — who is employed in an advisory role by the club — over exactly where the match officials had gone wrong.
It all stemmed from one refereeing decision, which Forest felt changed the course of the game in injury time.
What happened near the end of the game?
In the 97th minute, with Callum Hudson-Odoi in possession on the left side of the pitch, roughly level with the penalty area and with Forest seemingly about to launch another attack, referee Paul Tierney stopped play to allow treatment to Liverpool player Ibrahima Konate, who appeared to have sustained a possible head injury.
Once Konate had received treatment, instead of restarting the game with Forest in possession where they had the ball when play stopped, referee Tierney opted to resume with a drop ball that returned possession to Liverpool, dropping it at the feet of Caoimin Kelleher.
It prompted a furious response from the Forest bench at the time and emotions ran even higher when Liverpool subsequently scored in the 99th minute and the angry scenes continued after the final whistle.
Why were Forest so angry?
The incident came around two minutes before Darwin Nunez flicked home the winning goal.
Although Forest did have an opportunity to clear the danger themselves in the build-up to his header, they felt the momentum of the game had changed in that moment, as they went from having an attacking situation of their own, to having to defend.
Tierney’s decision to award a drop ball to Liverpool was the source of Forest frustration (Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Mark Clattenburg, the former FIFA and Premier League referee, was appointed by Forest as a match and performance analyst in February following a string of previous decisions that the club felt had gone against them this season.
Most recently, Forest felt they should have had penalties awarded in their favour in games against Newcastle United and West Ham United. Forest’s frustration will have been fuelled not just by this one incident but by previous events too.
“As a club, Nottingham Forest feel as though there have been one or two decisions that have gone against them in the last few weeks,” said Clattenburg, who spoke to the media in the aftermath of the game, the first time he has done so since his appointment at Forest. “There have been clear decisions where the Premier League and the PGMOL have accepted that there have been mistakes.
“Today is another example where the law is quite clear. The law states that, if the referee is going to stop the game — which he is entitled to for a head injury — the ball has to go back to the team that has possession. Nottingham Forest clearly had possession.”
From Forest’s point of view, a point from this game could have been significant in their fight for survival.
A clearly angry Nuno Espirito Santo, when faced with questions about the incident, said: “I will not comment on the referee. Please do not ask me about that. We played a very good game against a very good team, fantastic players and manager and we limited them.
“They had chances, we had chances, it was a good game of football. We should have been more clinical.
“I’m proud of the boys because they worked very hard. They combined, they helped each other, they defend the box — they did everything.”
What’s the rule about teams giving the ball back after a head injury?
The laws of the game state that, when a game is restarted:
“The ball is dropped for the defending team goalkeeper in their penalty area if, when play was stopped:
- *the ball was in the penalty area or
- *the last touch of the ball was in the penalty area
- In all other cases, the referee drops the ball for one player of the team that last touched the ball at the position where it last touched a player, an outside agent or, as outlined in Law 9.1, a match official
- All other players (of both teams) must remain at least 4 m (4.5 yds) from the ball until it is in play
- The ball is in play when it touches the ground.”
In this case, when play was stopped, Hudson-Odoi clearly had possession for Forest, outside of the penalty area.
What exactly happened after the game on the pitch and in the tunnel?
Most of the Forest players initially fell to their knees following a game in which they had given everything to secure what would have been a hard fought point.
Forest coach Steven Reid was then shown a red card for taking his protests too far; for being too forceful in his comments to Tierney and his fellow officials as he made his way off the pitch.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was stood on the touchline as the final whistle blew and followed the match officials into the tunnel.
Nottingham Forest owner Marinakis on the touchline (NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He had been heard to state “every week, every week” on the touchline, which was presumably a reference to previous refereeing decisions he felt had gone against the club.
Marinakis did attempt to question Tierney but he and his team of officials quickly made their way into their changing room and Marinakis instead stopped to talk to Forest midfielder Nico Dominguez, who had limped off, about the severity of his injury.
He then had a conversation with Clattenburg about the incident.
What’s Mark Clattenburg’s role and why did he talk afterwards?
Clattenburg’s role as match and performance analyst is more common in La Liga and other parts of Europe, where former referees are on the staff of clubs like Real Madrid and Getafe.
It was nevertheless highly unusual for a former referee to appear before the media to talk about the performance of Premier League officials in this manner.
Mark Clattenburg addressing the media in the mixed zone here #LFC pic.twitter.com/J0GT0vShNc
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) March 2, 2024
But this is one of the reasons why Clattenburg has been appointed.
Forest had become frustrated with sending emails of complaint to PGMOL, the body responsible for referees in English football, over previous decisions that had gone against them and hoped that Clattenburg could help to foster a relationship with the governing body of referees.
PGMOL head Howard Webb sat next to Clattenburg in the City Ground stands during the midweek FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.
“I am here to advise the club, certainly about things like today, which are a matter of law. I can explain things like that to them,” said Clattenburg. “Forest fought hard all game and, when you lose a game like that, it is no wonder that people are frustrated.
“We will speak to the PGMOL. With the relations I have with the PGMOL and the Premier League, we will discuss what has happened today and then plot what the next course of action is.
“The owner is quite upset because he has invested a lot of money in the club. He wants to see results and he feels that another decision has gone against Forest. Everyone at the club is upset that they have lost in this way.”
Clattenburg attempted to talk to Tierney himself after the game but said: “I tried to go into the referee’s room and he would not allow me in.”
How could Forest be punished?
Reid will get a touchline ban for his red card and will not be able to join the rest of the coaching staff in the dugout at Brighton next weekend.
The sight of a club owner following a referee down the tunnel to ask questions about his performance is unquestionably unusual but there is no suggestion he has done anything that could land him in hot water.
Could they get an apology?
It would not be the first time this season.
Clattenburg’s appointment came following a string of decisions that Forest felt had gone against them.
It began with the red card shown to Joe Worrall and a penalty given against Danilo at Old Trafford in August, which prompted their first complaints of the campaign.
Willy Boly’s sending-off against Bournemouth in December — when he was shown a second yellow card despite replays showing he was more the victim of a foul than the perpetrator of one — earned Forest an apology, but ultimately cost them points.
In January Ivan Toney scored a free kick at Brentford, after moving the ball and the referee’s marker foam at least two feet from the points at which it should have been taken. Forest should have had a penalty against Newcastle last month, when Taiwo Awoniyi was felled by keeper Martin Dubravka.
And, following Clattenburg’s appointment, VAR concluded that Forest should not be given a penalty, despite replays showing that Neco Williams had been tripped by Maxwell Cornet in the game against West Ham.
Whether they get one or not, another apology might not mean much to Forest.
(Top photo: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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