Howard Webb confirms reason behind big VAR decision that went against Nottingham Forest

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Nottingham Forest have had their fair share of run-ins with referees and VAR in recent weeks, and fans now have a better understanding of why one decision was made.

Morgan Gibbs-White suffered at the hands of Rob Jones during Nottingham Forest vs Brighton, as he was sent off for what was deemed a second bookable offence.

However, an independent panel after the game voted in favour of it being an error, which didn’t go down too well with Nottingham Forest fans who were angered by the error.

Things got even worse in the Reds’ next game against Fulham, as Murillo gave away a penalty with a hotly contested foul and Anthony Elanga was denied a penalty for what appeared to be a foul.

Now, Nottingham Forest fans have been given a bit more of an understanding on the Murillo incident, as Howard Webb spoke out on the penalty.

Howard Webb confirms why VAR awarded Fulham a penalty against Nottingham Forest

The incident in question involving Murillo saw him accidentally step on the heal of Andreas Pereira without even looking at the player, as the ball approached the box.

This was then looked at by VAR and the penalty was given after a check.

Speaking to Michael Owen on Match Officials Mic’d Up, Howard Webb backed the decision made by VAR and gave the reasoning behind it.

“The VAR sees that there’s clear evidence of contact on the back of the heel which is very impactful and you can see that the player [Pereira] jumps up in pain.

“It’s a careless collision and [Murillo] doesn’t mean to do it, but he does it and it has an impact on Pereira’s ability to head the ball. So therefore we would get involved here.”

VAR’s inconsistency continues to ruin the Premier League

Murillo does make contact in a painful area which justifies Andreas Pereira’s reaction, but it’s contact that wasn’t intentional and he’s not even looking at the player.

The Anthony Elanga incident wasn’t too dissimilar, as contact was made unintentionally to win the ball by Calvin Bassey, with the Fulham man making contact with the Forest winger first.

It’s frustrating as decisions like these are the difference between zero and three points, as it was on that day at the City Ground.

At the end of the season, these decisions could prove crucial in the standings.