SHOCKING NEWS: coming from Fabrizio Romano, ” Nottingham Forest are said to be “outraged” by the officials in their recent match against Liverpool, and its has been confirmed that the game will be replayed. It was investigated and confirmed that Nottingham were “cheated” by the officials, and the match will be replayed under the new IFAB laws of game. Nottingham Forest Outraged by ‘Cheating’ Officials in Liverpool Match – Match to Be Replayed”.
Nottingham Forest found themselves at a disadvantage just moments before Darwin Nunez’s dramatic 99th-minute winner propelled Liverpool four points clear at the summit of the Premier League.
In a nail-biting finish at the City Ground, the Uruguayan forward notched his 14th goal of the season, clinching a remarkable, last-gasp victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side over the relegation-threatened Forest. Nunez, who had been sidelined for Liverpool’s previous three matches due to a muscle injury sustained in their triumph over Brentford two weeks earlier, made a decisive impact off the bench in the Midlands, extending Liverpool’s lead over both Manchester City and Arsenal ahead of their forthcoming fixtures in the Premier League.
However, amidst the euphoria of Nunez’s winning goal, supporters of Liverpool’s title rivals, City and Arsenal, were quick to point out a contentious incident that preceded the decisive strike at the City Ground. As Forest mounted pressure in search of a potential winning goal to lift themselves clear of the relegation zone, referee Paul Tierney erroneously awarded possession to Liverpool to tend to a head injury following an earlier involvement of Calum Hudson-Odoi.
The controversy unfolded in the 97th minute as Morgan Gibbs White’s corner prompted a collision between Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher and Ibrahima Konate at the near post, resulting in the French defender sprawled on the turf. Tierney halted play as the ball exited the penalty area and reached Hudson-Odoi, who was preparing to engage with Liverpool’s Luis Diaz. However, when play resumed approximately 60 seconds later, it was Liverpool who were granted possession, contravening the rules outlined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
According to IFAB’s laws of the game (section 8.2), a drop ball should be awarded to the defending team’s goalkeeper only if, at the time of the stoppage, the ball or its last touch was within the penalty area. In all other scenarios, the referee is instructed to award a drop ball to “one player of the team that last touched the ball at the position where it last touched a player.” In this instance, Forest should have been reinstated possession due to Hudson-Odoi’s last interaction with the ball before Tierney intervened.
It’s important to note, however, that despite the protests from Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, and Manchester City fans regarding this incident during stoppage time, Nunez’s match-winning goal transpired nearly two minutes and two sequences of play later, with Forest conceding both a throw-in and a corner kick before Nunez’s decisive strike.