Exclusive: Referee error saves Nico Dominguez from red in Nottingham Forest v Palace
Nico Dominguez was fortunate not to be sent off for a second yellow card offence in Nottingham Forest’s draw with Crystal Palace, according to Keith Hackett.
The ex-FIFA official and former PGMOL boss exclusively told Football Insider that referee Andy Madley had made an error, even after checking the VAR monitor.
Having enjoyed a brilliant season that saw them rise to third in the Premier League table and looking good to qualify for Champions League football, the Tricky Trees have struggled in recent weeks.
Forest lost 2-0 to Man City in the FA Cup semi-final, seemingly giving them an opportunity to focus all their efforts on their league form.
But Nuno Espirito Santo’s side continues to stumble and following a loss to Brentford and Monday night’s (5 May) 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, the Tricky Trees now face the very real possibility of missing out on a place in the Premier League’s top 5.
However, a silver-lining from the draw with the Eagles was Dominguez avoiding a red card after his challenge on Tyrick Mitchell.
Andy Madley fails to see Nico Dominguez foul on Tyrick Mitchell
With just under an hour gone and the tie still goalless, Mitchell made a darting run forward, looking to connect with a cross from Ismaila Sarr.
Just before the left-back was able to get his shot off, Dominguez attempted to nick the ball away from the 25-year-old.
As he did so, the Argentine midfielder appeared to make contact with Mitchell before Matz Sels crashed into the defender, sending him tumbling to the ground.
| Match stats | Crystal Palace | Nottingham Forest |
| Possession | 49% | 51% |
| Shots (on target) | 20 (3) | 12 (4) |
| Expected goals | 2.32 xG | 0.73 xG |
| Big chances (missed) | 4 (3) | 0 (0) |
| Corners | 7 | 4 |
Madley was then called to the VAR monitor, where he made the correct decision of awarding a penalty, which Arsenal target Eberechi Eze duly tucked away.
However, the referee failed to notice, even after seeing multiple replays, that it was actually Dominguez who had brought Mitchell down and the Forest midfielder avoided receiving a second yellow card as a consequence.
Keith Hackett analyses Crystal Palace penalty incident
Having reviewed the footage of the incident, ex-PGMOL chief Hackett told Football Insider exclusively that Madley had made an error in his decision-making, and Dominguez was very fortunate as a result:
“Dominguez was clearly the player who fouled Mitchell before the goalkeeper came in.
“As a result, he should have had a yellow card. Having already been on a yellow card, this would have been a second yellow and a dismissal.
“The referee unfortunately got this one wrong, even after looking at the VAR screen.”