Sturm Graz vs Nottingham Forest ref watch: Three decisions Mykola Balakin got wrong
Sean Dyche’s side played out a frustrating goalless draw as Nottingham Forest secured a point away against Sturm Graz in the Europa League.
In preparation for their venture into Europe, Forest played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Man United, with goals coming from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona early in the second half.
There was yet more controversy as Casemiro scored from a corner that should not have been awarded, and the Reds may have been deserving of a penalty kick later in the game.
Against Sturm Graz on Thursday, 6 November, Gibbs-White was given the chance to score from the penalty spot, but saw his effort saved before both teams struggled to find a winner in a 0-0 draw.
As Dyche’s team struggled for all three points in Austria, Football Insider looked at some controversial refereeing decisions on the night.
Arjan Malic avoids early booking on Neco Williams thanks to Mykola Balakin
Neco Williams has been in fine form for Forest, with many fans seeing him as one of the team’s best players this season, and it was the right-back causing plenty of issues down the flanks.
His first-half cross was blocked by a stray hand, which led to the awarding of a penalty, but even before then, the signs were there that the Welshman was going to cause issues.
Williams’ early venture forward saw Arjan Malic launch into a challenge on the right-back, completely missing the ball and leaving one on the Forest man. Yet, no yellow card was shown, likely due to the time on the clock.
Nottingham Forest denied an obvious second penalty after Morgan Gibbs-White’s miss
There was absolutely no doubt that Forest’s penalty should have been awarded, so there was very little argument about that. But everything exploded after Gibbs-White missed from the penalty spot.
Ryan Yates charged into the area, wanting to get on the rebound, and found himself on the deck after an apparent push in the back from retreating defenders.
Martin Keown accused the midfielder of diving inside the penalty area, but as replays continued to be played on television, it became more and more clear that Forest should have been awarded another spot-kick.
Ryan Yates escapes a simple red card
Carded just three minutes into the second half, Yates was walking a tightrope for much of the game in Austria, and might have counted himself lucky to see out the full 90 minutes.
In the final 10 minutes, the midfielder went crunching into a studs-up challenge on Axel Kayombo, leaving the Sturm Graz youngster in agony on the floor.
Upon viewing the replay, it was a wonder how Yates managed to stay on the pitch, and even more of a wonder how the referee had not seen the challenge. Why had VAR not advised him to take another look?