Nuno Espirito Santo, the manager of Nottingham Forest, expressed his disapproval of the decision to award Fulham a penalty in their recent match which ended in a 1-0 defeat for Forest. The pivotal moment came when Raul Jimenez scored from the spot after a VAR check led referee Josh Smith to point to the penalty spot. Fulham’s Andreas Pereira was adjudged to have been fouled in the box by Murillo, a decision that Nuno believed was incorrect.
Forest’s frustrations were compounded later in the game when another VAR penalty call went against them, this time when Anthony Elanga was brought down by Fulham’s Calvin Bassey. The Forest management also voiced their increasing dissatisfaction with the standard of refereeing in the Premier League, echoing Nuno’s sentiments.
Speaking after the match, Nuno stated, “We all want peace and to continue well and don’t want to come here to speak about the referees. But it was bad, wasn’t it?” He highlighted the incidents during the game and expressed hope that future refereeing decisions would not be a point of contention.
This defeat marked Forest’s first loss in six league matches this season and prolonged their wait for a home league victory since April. Despite criticism of the refereeing decisions, Nuno managed to avoid a touchline ban for this game following an incident in the previous match against Brighton.
In contrast, Fulham’s manager, Marco Silva, felt his team deserved the victory, crediting their performance over the 90 minutes. Silva commended his players for their resilience and character, highlighting their control of the game and defensive solidity.
With this win, Fulham extended their unbeaten league run to five matches and climbed to sixth place in the table. While Nuno Espirito Santo and Nottingham Forest may feel aggrieved by the penalty decisions, Fulham and Marco Silva celebrated a hard-fought victory that continues their positive start to the season.