Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper has lamented the Referee’s decision not to award his team a penalty against Manchester United as a “really poor error”.
United went on to win 2-0 at the City Ground on Sunday with goals from Antony and Diogo Dalot.
A Forest corner kick in the 19th minute struck the outstretched arm of Harry Maguire — who had already been booked — at the far post, with the hosts immediately appealing to referee Simon Hooper for a penalty.
After consultation with the VAR, Hooper waved away the claims to the dismay of the homeside.
“I personally think it’s a penalty,” Cooper told Sky Sports after the game. “It’s a really, really poor error.
“The referee should see it, but I understand why he hasn’t because of the angle and the amount of players. But why the VAR hasn’t is not right, in my opinion.
“It’s another moment that will put big scrutiny on VAR. There’s been a lot of negative decisions over the last few weeks, and that’s another one.
“I’m not going to stand here and say it’s the reason we didn’t win the game, although it could be a second yellow and a red for Maguire, and we could have scored the penalty and gone 1-0 up.
“It has a big impact, I’m really biting my tongue because I don’t want to use it as an excuse for why we lost the game or why we’re in the league position we are in; it’s not.
“But it’s a bad error. How [VAR] Andy Madley hasn’t seen it needs looking at.”
The incident was coming just a week after a number of questionable decisions from officials in Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion with refereeing body PGMOL later issuing an apology to the Seagulls.
The result means that forest remain in the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference behind 17th-placed Everton and have now gone 10 games without a win.