‘Nottingham Forest got away with one for first time this season’ – Ex-PGMOL boss
Nottingham Forest were “lucky” to have one of their goals given during their thrashing of Brighton, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that Ibrahim Sangare should have been penalised for handling the ball in the lead-up to Neco Williams’ goal.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side bounced back from their defeat to Bournemouth the previous week with an even more emphatic 7-0 thumping of Brighton at the City Ground on Saturday (1 February).
Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler has come under fire in the wake of that defeat, although it appears there is a feeling at least one of the goals Nottingham Forest put past his side shouldn’t have stood.
Nottingham Forest fortunate with one goal given in thrashing of Brighton
The visitors did not always help themselves in that defeat at the City Ground, opening the scoring with a Lewis Dunk own goal and conceding a penalty through Tariq Lamptey.
However, Neco Williams’ strike to make it 6-0 to Nottingham Forest was seemingly allowed despite a handball in the build up.
After the ball fell to Sangare inside the Brighton area, he went to ground under the challenge of Yankuba Minteh, before the ball appeared to bounce of his arm and into the path of Williams to fire home.
Now Hackett has suggested the nature of the contact between ball and arm should have been enough to see the goal ruled out.
Speaking to Football Insider about that particular Nottingham Forest goal, the former referee said:
“I generally believe at that point that that handling offence should have been penalised. I think there’s a bit of a push to help it on its way. Otherwise it would have settled in the arm area.
“It doesn’t come in at real pace to him so I think, probably for the first time this season, Forest have got away with one. I think it could have been penalised.
“I think this is one where I would have liked the referee particularly for a goal, to have another look. He doesn’t have to go with VAR, but just to have a second look to confirm in his opinion there was an offence and take any doubt away from that goal being allowed.
“Ultimately at the end of the day you’re refereeing a game 90 minutes plus, and you’ve got to referee and apply the laws correctly.”
Following that win, Nottingham Forest are currently third in the Premier League table as their excellent season continues.
They will look to continue that when they face League One side Exeter City in the fourth round of the FA Cup in their next match a week on Tuesday (11 February).
In other news, Morgan Gibbs-White has sent a message to Nottingham Forest fans after their thrashing of Brighton.
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