Nuno Espirito Santo asks ‘does someone want Nottingham Forest to go down’ after VAR controversy

Nuno Espirito Santo questioned whether there is a conspiracy to relegate Nottingham Forest this season after the head coach said he felt badly let down by yet another controversial refereeing decision.

A week on from referee Paul Tierney’s blunder at the City Ground that potentially cost Forest a point, on Sunday it was referee Michael Salisbury who chose to show only a yellow card to Brighton’s Jakub Moder for what looked a clear red-card offence after 67 minutes of a tight encounter.

The challenge began in mid-air and ended with the Poland midfielder’s studs in Neco Williams’ ankle. But VAR Craig Pawson chose not to invite Salisbury to look at the incident again on the pitch-side monitor.

“What is going on? Someone wants to put us down?” Forest manager Nuno told the BBC afterwards.

In his press conference shortly after, he fully let loose. “It’s a clear red card, a bad mistake,” he said. “Having an extra player makes a big difference. We were on top in the game and it’s a bad decision of VAR. I don’t judge only the referee.”

“It’s week after week. They apologise to us and it doesn’t mean anything. Everyone is aware of the mistakes. And I’m trying to be honest and keep myself calm and respectful, but it’s enough.

“Please, someone tell me what’s going on. Why is it always us? You should see the leg of Neco Williams. We don’t bull----. It’s a red card. It’s so obvious. and you know what’s going to happen. In two days they are going to apologise.”

Nuno’s fury was echoed by his players. “It is getting ridiculous. Honestly ridiculous,” said Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. “The amount of decisions that have gone against us is outrageous this season. I don’t want to speak so much because I could get into trouble, so many things I want to say. In two days time we will get an apology again.”

With Forest pressing for an equaliser, the destination of the points was in the balance and Nuno evidently felt an extra-man advantage would have swung the result in Forest’s favour.

Moder, however, unsurprisingly backed Salisbury’s on-pitch decision. said: “I think the referee knows better than me if it’s a yellow or a red. He decided it’s a yellow so I believe him,” said the Brighton midfielder.

It’s understood that Forest have already submitted four letters of complaint to PGMOL this season. In August, Forest raised two decisions made by VAR Rob Jones in the 3-2 defeat by Manchester United, before December’s sending off of Danilo - again at the hands of Jones who took charge of the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth.

In January, Forest also complained about Brentford striker Ivan Toney taking a free-kick from an incorrect position in their 1-0 victory, before last weekend’s furious protestations after Liverpool snuck a 1-0 win at the City Ground in the 99th-minute after Tierney’s drop-ball blunder.

Nuno did insist that his team’s spirit is intact but they seldom looked like scoring against a Brighton team that were less open and naive than in some recent matches. The defeat leaves Forest with only one victory in eight Premier League games, and no wins on the road since Boxing Day.

Brighton’s victory was anything but pretty, and it got a winning goal to match, a messy own goal by Andrew Omobamidele, but Roberto De Zerbi’s side will not care. They arrested their own recent bad run of three successive defeats and extended their club-record run of unbeaten home games in the top flight to 12 matches.

The three hard-won points were the perfect antidote to Thursday’s 4-0 defeat away by AS Roma, but although that result probably means that their European adventure is over, they showed signs that they could still mount a challenge to return to European competition next season.

This was only their third victory in the Premier League since the turn of the year and they are still struggling with an injury list that is unlikely to shrink in the short term but they are back up to eighth place after they dropping to tenth on Saturday.

“I’m very happy first of all for the reaction but i had no doubts of the human qualities of my players,” De Zerbi said. “After the goal we suffered but we didn’t concede too many shots. Now we have to prepare the game for Thursday.”

That will be the second leg against Roma with potential for redemption or a further blow to morale. But they did not look like a side reeling from a midweek drubbing and went ahead after 29 minutes. Pascal Gross in sent a free kick from the left aimed for the head of Moder but Omobamidele got there first and the ball bounced gently off his shoulder and into the net.

Forest surrounded Salisbury and for a while nobody was sure if he had awarded a goal or not. But there was far more controversy to come.