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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Matt Smith

Ryan Yates delivers Nottingham Forest verdict on Brentford draw amid 'cheated' penalty claims

Ryan Yates has admitted that Nottingham Forest's 2-2 draw against Brentford feels like "two points dropped" for the Reds despite a last-minute equaliser.

It had appeared that Forest would take a lead into the half-time interval courtesy of Morgan Gibbs-White's impressive effort, but were pegged back in added time through a Bryan Mbuemo penalty.

Yoane Wissa put the visitors ahead with 15 minutes remaining, before euphoria struck at the City Ground when Mathias Jørgensen netted at the wrong end in stoppage-time.

READ MORE: How the Reds rated against Brentford

READ MORE: Re-live the action from the City Ground

Whilst noting that the equaliser was important, Yates was keen to emphasise that his side were not satisfied with a draw. "That was a massive moment for us at the end," he told the BBC.

"It was a game we couldn't afford to lose but we feel it's two points dropped. We need to be winning these games at home. The fans are going to be behind us the whole way. We showed that belief and never-say-die attitude. But there is an overriding feeling of disappointment.

"We had a spell in the first half where we thought we could have put it to bed then a controversial decision went against us. We need to start faster in the second half but it's certainly two points dropped from our point of view.

"We need to put in better performances than we did today. We're at the City Ground and need to be winning those games. We're certainly not satisfied with the point."

The encounter was jam-packed with action, even prior to kick-off when Brentford players appeared to clash with Forest coaches during their respective warm-ups.

But the midfielder, unlike Gibbs-White, refrained from criticising match officials when questioned on the spot-kick call.

Yates explained: "It's very difficult for the referee - but if you slow it down and see it five or six times then you probably are going to find something. It's a different game then. We could have defended it better from back to front so need to look at ourselves first not the referee.

"You don't usually get to see it but it was on the big screen. My opinion is when you slow something down so much you're probably going to find something."

To fight back from such a cruel blow was indicative of the spirit within Forest's newly-developed dressing room, with Yates unable to hide his satisfaction at seeing Gibbs-White score a first Premier League goal.

"Delighted for [Gibbs-White]. He deserves that goal. There's more to come from him and all of us," he added.

"That shows the togetherness in the dressing room. There's a lot of new players but we're fighting for each other. Every point will be huge."

What did you make of the referee's decisions? Have your say in the comments below

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