28 September 2024
Nott’m Forest 0 Fulham 1
Unbeaten Nottingham Forest welcomed Fulham to the City Ground. The hosts had yet to register a win at home this season and were without talisman Morgan Gibbs-White after his sending off against Brighton. This would test the depth of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad in a game that he would be expecting to win against Marco Silva’s side.
Having made three changes to their starting line-up, one of the new additions almost opened the scoring early on. A long throw in from Aina picked out Yates at the near post. He flicked it on to the back post where Awoniyi tried an outlandish overhead kick. With Leno rooted to the spot, the effort narrowly went over the crossbar.
The hosts continued to pile the early pressure on. As a cross was flicked down, Wood reacted quickest and claimed his shot had crossed the line, despite the save from Leno. Fortunately for the visitors the striker was adjudged to be offside in the build-up. The replay showed it was the right decision and this was backed up by a VAR review.
Not that you can always trust a VAR review. We have seen plenty of occasions where the lines drawn look like the person in the booth has no depth perception in their field of vision. The technology should add to the game but all too often it is like giving the lunatics the keys to the asylum. One day these officials will be held accountable to their incompetency but it seems as likely as flying cars right now.
Fulham took a good half an hour of this game before offering any attacking threat at all. Iwobi and Smith Rowe combined well on the edge of the box before the winger threaded it through to Jimenez. He did well to get a shot away but it was a comfortable save for Sels in the Forest goal. A brief glimpse of what Fulham are capable of if you do not close them down.
As the hosts came forward once again, a long ball forward seemed a comfortable clearance for Andersen. Awoniyi used his pace to get there before the defender could clear and seemed to be fouled in the process. The referee ignored the protests and VAR, as ever, agreed with the onfield decision and said no penalty.
This is what makes a mockery of the review process. There is no doubting that the striker got to the ball just before the defender looked to clear. As a result, he kicked the bottom of Awoniyi’s boot. Had the referee awarded the penalty, VAR would have agreed with his decision also. They are not checking whether it is a foul but if it is a ‘clear and obvious error’ by the official.
Into the second half, the visitors looked get forward more. A seemingly harmless cross into the box saw Pereira hit the floor. The referee waved play on but then the VAR studio told him to go to the monitor. As the replay showed, Murillo stood on the back heel of the Fulham midfielder, which caused him to go down in the box.
The referee came over to the monitor, watched the replay several times before pointing to the spot. It was a clumsy challenge by the Brazilian and it looked like Forest were going to pay the ultimate price as a result. It seemed somewhat ironic that nobody in a Fulham shirt even appealed for a penalty yet one was given.
Jimenez stepped up to take it and lifted his penalty high enough that Sels could not get a hand to it. It was a bizarre run up by the Mexican as he seemingly stopped twice in his approach. Mind games being played with the keeper there to see if he was going to go early it seems. Either way The Cottagers had the lead at the City Ground.
Fulham almost offered Forest a route back into the game. A loose pass gifted the ball to Wood. He turned towards goal and played it into Elanga in the box. The winger seemed to take the wrong option as he checked inside and into the path of a challenge. As he tried to retrieve the ball, he went to ground but the referee was not interested in awarding another penalty.
The Cottagers struggled to clear their lines and Hudson-Odoi picked it up out wide. He drove into the box, feigning shot after shot before finally pulling the trigger. He had worked himself enough space that he really should be scoring from there but his effort went narrowly over the crossbar. It just didn’t seem to be Nottingham Forest’s day.
Forest continued to throw bodies forward in search of an equaliser. It was all getting a little desperate in the Fulham box as they tried to hack the ball clear. As one such attempt saw the ball lofted into the air, it dropped to Silva on the volley just outside the box. He took it on first time but his effort was straight at the keeper. Either side of him and it may have been a goal.
Tete got away from Murillo and charged into the box. The Brazilian clearly pushed the defender and he ended up on the deck. VAR reviewed it and stated that the contact was not enough to send him to the floor. The inconsistency of these decisions are almost laughable. Marco Silva’s side held on for the win and ended Forest’s unbeaten record this campaign in the process.
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