Yet again, Nottingham Forest left with a burning sense of injustice. The goal for Brighton they believe should not have counted. The red card for Jakub Moder which never was. The myriad of 50-50s they lost on the whims of the referee, Michael Salisbury.
‘Premier League, corrupt as f***,’ sang the travelling supporters. Judging by the look on Nuno Espirito Santo‘s face, you suspected their manager was tempted to join in with that criticism.
Yet regardless of the refereeing, Forest cannot hide from the fact they did not create nearly enough chances at the Amex Stadium to say they deserved much more than this defeat.
They did little to change the direction of this contest as Brighton edged towards a much-needed win following that 4-0 spanking by Roma in the Europa League.
Sure, Salisbury could have helped by showing a straight red to Moder for his lunge on Neco Williams in the second half, but Forest have to look at themselves as well as the referee.
Brighton players celebrate after Nottingham Forest’s Andrew Omobamidele’s own goal
Omobamidele inadvertently turned the ball into his own net as Brighton took the lead
Following he victory Roberto De Zerbi’s side have moved up to eighth place in the table
In the end, it was an own goal from Andrew Omobamidele which ensured Brighton won.
For a team that was added to Rome’s ruins in midweek, Brighton played with freedom at the start of this match. Simon Adingra was expressing himself more than anyone, one cheeky nutmeg on Danilo ending with a curler that needed saving by Matz Sels.
Sels was scrambling when Carlos Baleba curled one of his own towards the corner, only for it land wide. From then on, Brighton looked most lethal when orchestrating set-pieces.
Pascal Gross is their primary taker of free-kicks and one of his crosses led to a header from Moder which forced Sels into a flying save. Another created a chance for Ansu Fati, who lacked the courage to throw his head at the ball as Neco Williams was able to block.
Gross had secured 10 assists this season. No one in the Premier League had managed more. Unfortunately for the 32-year-old German, he will not officially receive the 11th he provided here from a free-kick due to it going down as an own goal by Andrew Omobamidele.
Omobamidele had already been booked for crashing through the back of Fati when he then fouled the wily winger all over again. Salisbury resisted the urge to reach for a second yellow, though Omobamidele paid the price for his recklessness regardless.
Gross shoved his free-kick down the throat of Forest’s goal as the ball smacked off the side of Omobamidele’s head. Suddenly, Salisbury was surrounded by red shirts, as nine of Forest’s players claiming Moder had committed a foul amid the chaos.
VAR Craig Pawson disagreed, allowing the own goal to stand for 1-0 after 29 minutes.
Forest came close to an immediate response when Divock Origi broke behind in the 31st minute. He only had to beat Bart Verbruggen but Brighton’s goalkeeper was alert when called into action for the first time, saving with his feet.
There was deja vu in the 47th minute when the same chance was created. This time, Origi could not stop himself from leaning back as he sent the ball into the away end. Murillo went closer when he fired a rocket of a free-kick that needed stopping by Verbruggen.
Forest felt that Jakub Moder should have been sent off but he was only given a yellow card
Pervis Estupinan of Brighton looks to hold off Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga
There was uproar in the 55th minute as Salisbury and his assistants failed to award Forest a clear corner. ‘You don’t know what you’re doing,’ sang the away supporters, having seen how Estupinan had touched the ball last.
In the 66th minute, Salisbury had a bigger decision to make than whether Brighton get a goal-kick. It was whether they should receive a red card when Moder lunged in on Williams.
It was reckless, rough and every time you watched the replay, you winced as the studs sunk into the ankle. Salisbury showed yellow, however, and his pal at Stockley Park backed up that verdict as the Forest fans continued to vent their fury.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi responded by substituting Moder. Smart move, because one more foul would inevitably lead to a second yellow.
Forest searched for a late leveller but in truth, they never looked like securing one. They remain embroiled in this relegation race while Brighton will turn to this Thursday in the hope of making the impossible seem possible against Roma.
