Darwin Nunez scored a 99th-minute winner for Liverpool at the City Ground, but referee Paul Tierney had just stopped a Forest attack due to a head injury.
After the City Ground ref row, Mark Clattenburg confronted Paul Tierney, stating, ‘You got it wrong.’
The former Premier League official, who now works as a consultant for the east Midlands club, said that the man-in-the-middle erred when Forest suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Liverpool in the ninth minute of added time. Darwin Nunez glanced home Alexis MacAllister’s cross, triggering scenes of frenzied joy among the visitors.
Seconds earlier, the Wigan official halted play due to Ibrahima Konate’s head injury inside Liverpool’s penalty area. Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi was in possession near the left wing when the game restarted, but Tierney directed Liverpool to continue rather than returning the ball to Forest. The Reds did, and the game finished in a frenzy when the Uruguayan scored.
In the aftermath, Forest’s assistant manager Steven Reid was fired for remarks spoken to Tierney as the official exited the field. As tempers flared, club owner Evangelos Marinakis accosted him in the corridor outside the referee’s room.
Clattenburg has been hired as a go-between after Forest was let down by a series of decisions. He stated, “As a club, Forest believe there have been one or two judgments that have gone against them – Newcastle United, West Ham – decisions on which the PGMOL has admitted that there was an error.
“If the referee believes there is a head injury, he will stop the game. He has the right to halt it. However, the ball must be returned to the team that currently holds possession. And Nottingham Forest obviously held that possession.
“He did the same in the first half, but it was a different situation. The ball was closer to the penalty area, and Nottingham Forest was approaching the corner flag. Nottingham Forest should have received the ball back. Instead, Liverpool went upfield and scored from there.”
Clattenburg also stated how furious Marinakis was with the decision – rightly, it turns out.
He continued, “I have yet to advise the club on this, but it is a legal concern. I am capable at explaining legal matters. That’s why I’m there: to advise the board and the football club. I haven’t spoken with the referee. I have not gone in to see Paul. He wouldn’t let me in. I’ll leave it to Nottingham Forest officials to handle.
“I will advise them on what to say; we discussed the situation. Everybody is upset. They fought hard throughout the game, and losing like that frustrates everyone. The owner is furious because he has put a lot of money in the football team and expects to see results; he believes that another decision has gone against the club, and he is right to be upset.
“I believe everyone is disappointed that they have lost in this manner, and maybe their luck will alter in the future. They modified the law because they did not want a contentious drop ball. When it was the law, players would swing their legs, potentially injuring others.
“I understand the legal change. However, the law states unequivocally that if the ball is outside the penalty area, you regain possession and the opposing team is forced to retreat one metre. Forest has the ball in the corner at that critical point, thus they can take use of the time out to get the result. The ball has returned to Liverpool; they do not receive it back, and there is a corner. There is an argument that they could clear their lines, but it starts with that initial moment, and players lose attention because they believe there has been injustice.
“I’ll be sitting down with the board and the owners to try to explain what happened, which is impossible to do at the moment. We’ll be communicating with the PGMOL and the Premier League about the best course of action soon.”
