Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper was livid at the referee and VAR after Harry Maguire let offs in Manchester United’s win.
Steve Cooper was insistent that his team should have received a penalty after a handball was committed by Man Utd’s Harry Maguire.
Forest, currently in 18th position in the Premier League table, lost 2-0 to United at home, with Antony and Diogo Dalot scoring.
Cooper, however, described Maguire’s decision to not receive a penalty when the match was scoreless as “a really poor mistake”.
In the 20th minute, the captain of Manchester United was involved in an incident when a corner kick into the box put the visitors under early pressure.
Maguire wasn’t punished despite the fact that the ball hit his hand. He was judged as having his arm in an unnatural position when he attempted to jump for a head. Maguire had already been given a warning for an early challenge.
On Match of the Day, it was explained that the reason to why the Maguire penalty wasn’t given by VAR was because “there was a lot of congestion in the penalty area”.
🗣️ “I’m really biting my tongue here…”
Steve Cooper was NOT happy with the Harry Maguire penalty incident pic.twitter.com/vqNyzwDlIg
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 16, 2023
No penalty! ❌
Should this have been a penalty against Harry Maguire? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Mpt7BUrmQC
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 16, 2023
🗣 “The referee should see it but I understand why he hasn’t. But why VAR hasn’t is not right.”
Steve Cooper believes his side should have been awarded a penalty pic.twitter.com/waI378N1jn
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 16, 2023
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper: “I think it was a penalty [against Maguire], it’s a really poor error. The referee should see it but I understand why he hasn’t because of the angle and the number of players. Why VAR hasn’t is not right?
“It’s another moment that will put big scrutiny on VAR. There’s been a lot of negative decisions over the last few weeks and that’s another one. I’m not going to stand here and say it’s the reason we didn’t win the game, although it could be a second yellow and a red for Maguire, and we could have scored the penalty and gone 1-0 up.
“It has a big impact, I’m really biting my tongue because I don’t want to use it as an excuse for why we lost the game or why we’re in the league position we are in, it’s not. But it’s a bad error. How [VAR] Andy Madley hasn’t seen needs real looking at.”
Cooper was disappointed that Forest didn’t take anything from the game and adds that his team’s passing wasn’t slick enough in the opening half.
He went on: ‘Points are the objective and the be all and end all and we have got nothing.
‘Fine we’re playing Man United and at times we stuck to the plan, I just felt in the first half we didn’t take care of the first pass well enough. There were times where we turned over too quickly and you have to be able to do that at this level. You get punished in this league.’
Roy Keane also felt that Man Utd were lucky not to concede a penalty following Maguire’s handball.
Keane said on Sky Sports: ‘He probably deserves that luck. You would feel for him.
‘They’re (United) all battling, if he gives the penalty you wouldn’t complain too much.
‘He’s lucky. The keeper has to help him anyway’.
Keane adds: “When you look at Forest’s situation, as poor as they were today, they’re still on the verge of having a brilliant season.
“If they can finish fourth from bottom, survival for Forest would be amazing considering what they’ve been through, what’s going on in the background, the amount of players that have come into the club, the poor run they’re on now, the momentum has gone against them.
“They have to have that belief. It’s all well and good saying it in an interview, the players still have to believe they can get out of trouble. They’re not adrift, it’s only goal difference – although they aren’t scoring many and conceding lots, and that’s a problem, but they have to stick at it.
“We were all writing Bournemouth off a few months ago and look where they are now. If you can string things together, a little bit of belief and a few results, Forest have to believe it can happen to them. They are still in with a fighting chance but it’s going to be very difficult.”
Player ratings (via Sky Sports)
Nottingham Forest: Navas (8), Felipe (6), McKenna (6), Niakhate (6), Williams (6), Freuler (6), Danilo (6), Lodi (6), Gibbs-White (6), Awoniyi (6), Johnson (6).
Subs: Mangala (6), Surridge (6), Bonaventure (6), Lingard (N/A)
Man Utd: De Gea (6), Wan-Bissaka (6), Maguire (5), Lindelof (6), Dalot (7), Casemiro (7), Eriksen (8), Sancho (6), Fernandes (8), Antony (8), Martial (7).
Subs: Weghorst (6), Fred (6)
Man of the Match: Antony (Man Utd)
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag: “A solid performance. A well deserved win. The only criticism I could say, it had to be higher, the score. It had to be 3-0 or 4-0. We missed a lot of chances there.
“You want to score and finish and kill the game in the early moments. That’s always important. In big games you don’t create so many chances, so you have to score them.
“We need more goal scorers and I’m happy with Antony. He scored a goal, gave an assist. His start in the game wasn’t that good. I think twice he had to make another choice to bring the ball to Eriksen in a cutback. But after he came into the game and he was continually a threat for the opponent.
“He’s definitely making progress. Against Everton he created many chances and misses and so I’m happy for him today he scored. He had another one, if Aaron Wan-Bissaka was not blocking the shot!”
This is what fans said with Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper livid at the referee and VAR after Harry Maguire let offs…
@mattyfatcat: This is what’s worrying me about next weekend !!!! The whole @FA_PGMOL are gonna want an all Manchester final !!! It’s pretty obvious
@nffcalways1: Clear penalty.. but its Man United so …
@JustinHearn1: Yes! Absolute disgrace! Oh hang on! It was a Manchester United player….oh god no. Couldn’t help having his arm up there like that…and he was congested by his own team mates. Not a penalty! If that had been a Forest player at Old Trafford it would 100% be given!
@a779457: When managers are coming out every week saying there is an issue, and apologies are being made every week.. it’s pretty clear there is an issue regardless of whether people believe today’s was a penalty or not. The officiating in this league is woeful. VAR is no better.
@194514W98: Was 100% a pen and he’s right to be upset about it but it wouldn’t have made a difference, 0 shots on target in there position is atrocious no matter the opposition
@PhilipSiswick: Shall we all just forget the 2 penalties not given in the play off final against huddersfield. This one decision will not decide their season. Play off final was a massive outcome for both teams
@JPFOREST80: The Variable Applied Rules VAR Have gone for the “Bigger” club again. Imagine our shock. At this stage it would appear that VAR is just a mechanism the premier league can use to manipulate league results & positions to keep certain contests interesting. It’s show business
@mwwhtafc81: As much as I may agree with him, I also say 😂 he wasn’t like this after the play off final when him and the owner and Forest players were saying they loved VAR. what goes around come around and I’m glad they are now learning the lesson of humility.
@nicowrath: And will he phone and apologise to each and every Forest fan for their abject performance and another bad weekend by the team?
@pigeon_toes: I don’t recall him being bothered by the decisions in the West Ham game earlier in the season when Forest were the beneficiaries. Forest have been poor all season and that’s on him and his low quality desperation signings not VAR.
@jonopack: Been thinking about this VAR for ages all these pundits and ex pros slating it etc like my childhood hero @alanshearer can’t there be some way in for ex pros to be in charge of VAR?Pay them a lot get them in the hotseat at St George’s Park is it. Clean it all up no? #nffc #MUFC
@DrakeyDistiller: Handball has changed. Penalties are given now for ball to hand, to watch players hiding arms behind their backs is pathetic. VAR can see if deliberate or not. Lets get back there. Maguire is pants but I dont want to see penalties given for that.
@Stevie_FPL1: Every day of the week, wasn’t given because its man utd
@GingerPirlo_: No. He’s wearing a specific shirt.
@_BobbyGunn: I can’t believe it wasn’t given. Gotta feel for Forest there
@dwoodley1990: He isn’t wrong. The phone bill at the @FA_PGMOL for April will be considerably higher than normal – can’t blame inflation either
@I_Am_Salabim: VAR isn’t there for the smaller clubs. Happens literally every single week.
@SeelsyA: YES!!!! This is why fans are so angry about it. It makes no sense. You can understand why folk think there’s a conspiracy to keep certain teams up the top of the league and why some are given nonsense decisions. Brighton, Nufc ,Forest and others have been shafted a few times!!
@NigelSm05868161: Player already on a yellow, Ref bottled it as he would have had to send him off and upset the 1000’s of plastics sat in their armchairs. Golden chance of a goal against ten men 🙄 different game but the season does not revolve around that, we are down there for many reason’s.
@Mirf_Chris: They’re only in the Prem because of shocking VAR decisions. No sympathy
@DestinatiUnkown: Man city got a penalty for a very similar incident yesterday top six biased again happened with Brighton
@Conan_Lind: Stonewall penalty, this is just gone beyond a joke, this should be straightforward decision. It’s getting worse every week
@AdyG28: I’m not a forest fan but that’s an obvious Pen for handball, surely VAR is in the game to see those. They come out with was it a clear error, well then all those hairline thickness offside corrections wouldn’t be obvious errors.
@Fazza69: He’ll get a fine for ‘bad mouthing’ the ref/VAR but he’s absolutely Bang on here
— ⚒ (@riceszn_) April 16, 2023
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