Controversy and drama as Nottingham Forest strike late…

Controversy and drama as Nottingham Forest strike late to deny Brentford

Nottingham Forest player ratings vs Brentford

A dramatic, and controversial, afternoon at the City Ground ended all-square as Nottingham Forest drew 2-2 with Brentford.

After a dismal performance at Arsenal, Forest responded with an excellent start on the banks of the Trent. They should have been ahead at the break - they certainly had the chances - but boos rang out at half-time as the officials were jeered for some questionable decisions.

Penalty calls at both ends went against the hosts and Steve Cooper's side were set for defeat after Yoane Wissa netted with 15 minutes remaining.

Nevertheless, the Reds snatched a point right at the death when Zanka put the ball into his own net.

Here’s how Forest reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the City Ground.

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Cooper has his say on penalty drama

Penalty decisions given and not given left Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper frustrated after his side’s 2-2 draw against Brentford.

The Reds went ahead at the City Ground through a brilliant solo effort from Morgan Gibbs-White but had two penalty appeals turned down in the first half. And their frustration was only compounded when the visitors were awarded a spot-kick shortly before the interval.

“My feeling on the penalties and VAR is, if the one he’s given against us is a penalty, then he has to give four in the game," Cooper said. "The one on (Ryan) Yates, the one on (Emmanuel) Dennis and the one on Morgan in the second half.

"There’s frustrations over if they’ve made the referee look at the screen on the one he’s given against us, then why hasn’t he looked at the screen on the other three?"

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'We got cheated out of it' - Morgan Gibbs-White

Nottingham Forest goalscorer Morgan Gibbs-White has admitted that he doesn't understand how referee Andre Marriner awarded Brentford a penalty in first-half added-time after watching the replays back.

Dean Henderson was adjudged to have felled Yoane Wissa inside the penalty area with a trailing arm, and Marriner pointed to the spot after being advised to watch the incident back on the pitchside monitor. Bryan Mbuemo stepped up to convert the penalty in the absence of suspended striker Ivan Toney to cancel out a deflected Gibbs-White opener, which was the summer signing's first for the Reds.

"I think we deserved three points," Gibbs-White told the BBC. "We got cheated out of three points. It was two errors that cost us. We gave the ball away for their penalty and lost the ball again for the second goal. We battered them, really.

"We got cheated out of it. I looked at the penalty back and don't have a clue what the referee has seen. We came in at half-time angry, but we had to use that emotion to get back into the game."

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Brentford players clash with Forest staff during warm-ups

There was a flashpoint between Nottingham Forest and Brentford staff before Saturday's Premier League fixture at the City Ground.

Tension rose before kick-off during the warm-ups, with Brentford players and coaches apparently unhappy by the presence of Forest groundstaff on the pitch as they went through their pre-match paces.

Footage captured from the City Ground press box showed a mixture of Brentford players and coaches confronting Forest staff, who were carrying out their work in the half of the pitch that the visitors were warming up in.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank said his goalkeeping coach was injured in the altercation with the groundsman.

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What did you make of the refereeing decisions against Brentford? Have your say in the comments below

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