Nuno Espirito Santo demanded to know ‘why always us?’ as he ranted about Nottingham Forest being repeatedly on the end of refereeing errors following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Brighton.
Forest manager Nuno bemoaned the standard of Premier League refereeing after Seagulls midfielder Jakub Moder escaped with just a booking for a lunge on Neco Williams.
The Portuguese is tired of receiving apologies for mistakes made by referees after a series of high-profile incidents against his relegation-threatened team.
“It’s a red card,” he said of Moder’s tackle in the 67th minute. ‘It’s a serious mistake.
“We don’t know how the game will end, but today in football having one more player on the field makes a big difference.
Nuno Espirito Santo was angered by the decision not to send off Jakub Moder during Nottingham Forest’s defeat to Brighton.
Brighton midfielder Jakub Moder escaped with only a caution for a lunge on Neco Williams.
Referee Michael Salisbury decided a yellow card was sufficient, a decision supported by VAR Craig Pawson.
Your browser does not support iframes.
“We were on top of the game, we were dominant, we were creating problems for Brighton and it’s a bad decision by the VAR. I’m not just judging the referee.
‘But I saw the image, it’s a clear red card and how can I continue? It’s week after week we receive them.
‘They apologize to us, it doesn’t mean anything because it is costing us and we are in a difficult situation. What is happening? Why always us? Because?
‘Go see Neco Williams’ shin. He won’t post it (on social media). But I’m telling you, it’s a red card. It’s very obvious.’
Moder received a yellow card from referee Michael Salisbury, a decision supported by VAR Craig Pawson, who concluded there was no case of serious foul play.
Last weekend, Liverpool claimed a late 1-0 victory at the City Ground after Paul Tierney failed to concede a dropped ball to Forest in an attacking area, having stopped play with a knee injury. head of Ibrahima Konate.
Nuno also highlighted being denied penalties in the 2-0 win over West Ham and the 3-2 defeat to Newcastle last month to emphasize his continued frustration.
“Everyone is aware of the mistakes,” he said. ‘I don’t know how many mistakes we have, there are many. I try to be honest and stay calm and respectful, but I think that’s enough.
‘The press says (it’s because of) because of the result. No no no. We beat West Ham, they didn’t give us a penalty, of course. Because?
‘Why did Paul Tierney give possession to Liverpool? Why did they give us a penalty against Newcastle that they didn’t give us?
“We don’t know how the games are going to end, all these things, and I say that’s enough.” Please someone tell me what is happening.
Struggling Forest remain three points above the relegation zone after Andrew Omobamidele’s decisive first-half own goal at the Amex Stadium.
Andrew Omobamidele’s own goal separated the two teams at the Amex on Sunday afternoon.
Struggling Forest remain three points above the relegation zone after their last narrow defeat
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi (right) and his team earned a much-needed victory after their 4-0 humiliation at Roma in midweek.
Former Wolves and Tottenham manager Nuno feels his club are paying a high price for a transitional period in refereeing.
“I came to England a few years ago,” he said. ‘The referees (were) incredible. I understand that they suddenly lost a group of referees (who were) very strong, with a lot of experience.
‘And now new referees are coming and they need time and sympathy to improve and judge better. But we don’t have time. We are professionals. We don’t have time.’
Brighton bounced back from Europa League embarrassment at the hands of Roma by achieving unconvincing success.
Seagulls coach Roberto De Zerbi, whose side trail the Serie A club 4-0 ahead of Thursday’s last-16 second leg, said: “I’m very happy with the reaction.
‘But I had no doubt about the human qualities of my players. We played a good game, especially in the first 35 minutes.
‘After our goal we suffered more but we didn’t concede too many shots.
‘And now we have to prepare for the game against Roma. “We have to play a serious game and then we’ll see.”