Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea ref watch: Three decisions Chris Kavanagh got wrong
Chris Kavanagh’s name was on the tip of many supporters’ tongues as Nottingham Forest lost 3-0 to Chelsea at the City Ground.
Red flags have been raised over Kavanagh multiple times so far this season, having been at the very centre of mistakes in recent Premier League clashes.
He was involved as Yerson Mosquera avoided a red card against Newcastle United, while also officiating at Craven Cottage during the dramatic 1-1 draw between Fulham and Man United in August.
Howard Webb has now been left with some difficult decisions to make after watching Kavanagh in action during the Reds’ 2-0 loss to Chelsea at the City Ground on Saturday, 18 October.
Morato avoids punishment for clear shirt tug
In the opening 10 minutes, Morato should have been shown the yellow card for a clear pull-back on his opposition, an incident which Kavanagh spotted and awarded a free-kick.
Just four minutes before the half-time whistle, the centre-back finally went into the book for a silly foul on Joao Pedro, and had he already been booked, he might have been handed his marching orders instead.
Chris Kavanagh falls for Chelsea’s dark arts
Enzo Maresca will likely admit that the first half was a very poor showing from his team, but within seven minutes of the second half starting, they were two goals ahead.
The manager clearly made his feelings known during the half-time break, but one constant throughout the 90 minutes was Maresca’s players throwing themselves to the ground under very little pressure.
Kavanagh allowed it to continue at the City Ground, and for those in attendance, it made for a very frustrating game of football, with play often stopped when the referee could have played on.
Malo Gusto sent off at the City Ground
While there is no argument for his second yellow, bringing Neco Williams down as the full-back attacked in the final moments, some might suggest that he was unlucky to be on a caution to start with.
He was carded after just 54 minutes for a foul on Nikola Milenkovic, but it was clear that the Forest defender made the very most of the incident to get his opposition booked.
For sure, it was a stupid decision by the full-back at 3-0 up with just a few minutes left, but Gusto may feel hard done by following Kavanagh’s decision at the City Ground.