Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer has praised referee Michael Oliver for having "the guts" to award Nottingham Forest a penalty against Bournemouth.
Oliver awarded Forest a penalty for handball in the first half and, when asked by VAR Graeme Scott to consult the pitchside monitor, did so and stuck with his original decision. It was the first time this season a referee has not changed his mind at the screen, Shearer says, and he has praised the referee for doing so.
"A first this season. Well done, Michael Oliver," Shearer said on Match of the Day. "At last, a referee has had the guts to go over to the monitor and say 'no, Graeme Scott, you're wrong, I'm sticking with my decision'.
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"The defender has made himself bigger and it's not a clear and obvious error. That's what VAR was brought in to do. That's not a clear and obvious error, so he's had the guts to say 'no, you're wrong, I'm sticking with my decision'.
"Well done. Don't be surprised if you see more of that in the coming weeks because he's the first to do it."
Fellow pundit Danny Murphy chipped in to say "let's hope so", while host Gary Lineker added a quick "uh-huh" in agreement with Shearer.
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