Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has told Sky Sports News that Nottingham Forest were unlucky to give a penalty away on Saturday.
The Reds were shellshocked when Andre Marriner pointed to the spot after a long VAR check.
Dean Henderson was deemed to have fouled Yoane Wissa but replays showed there was minimal contact.
Lee Mason was the official on VAR and Gallagher doesn’t think he should have sent the referee to the monitor.
Forest fought back to draw the game 2-2, scoring an equalising goal in stoppage team with another defeat looking likely.
Gallagher officiated in the top flight for 15 years and he doesn’t think the team of officials made the right call.
He told Ref Watch on Sky Sports News: “No, if you look at Wissa, his feet are off the ground. The referee called it right on the field and he was sent to the monitor unnecessarily.
Furthermore, the former Premier League man was backed by pundits Sue Smith and Stephen Warnock.
Host Rob Wotton asked them to give a mark out of 10 in terms of whether or not it was a penalty.
Warnock said: “It’s a zero for me, it’s not a penalty.”
Smith agreed, saying: “I agree. It wasn’t a pen!”
Gallagher thinks Forest were unlucky
It’s fair to say that Forest fans will be left feeling extremely frustrated.
Henderson made minimal contact with Wissa and the fact he was even sent to the screen was a disgrace.
Fine margins are the order of the day and Forest will be feeling desperately unlucky.
Gallagher refereed in an era when technology wasn’t in place.
Some might suggest that it was a better time for football and that the game is slowly dying right now.
Forest were robbed on Saturday.
They had dominated the first half before the scandalous decision and they have every right to feel hard done by.
Forest will have to park that decision quickly, however, and look to get back on track quickly.
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