NafisaNottingham Forest have suffered another frustrating defeat to Leeds United at the City Ground, but this time there was a controversial refereeing decision for the home side to discuss after Daniel Farke’s men secured a 2-0 victory in the Carabao Cup.
Leeds had already left the City Ground with all three Premier League points just three days earlier, courtesy of Anton Stach’s stunning late free-kick.
They returned to the same stadium on Tuesday night and produced another impressive away performance, with Daniel James putting the visitors ahead shortly after half-time before a chaotic incident inside the Forest penalty area eventually resulted in Leeds’ second.
The result means Leeds have now beaten Forest twice at the City Ground within a matter of days and progressed into the third round of the Carabao Cup.
But while the result will be celebrated by Farke and his players, Forest supporters have once again been left questioning the officials.
And this time, former Forest striker Robert Earnshaw has added fuel to the debate.
Ex-Forest star questions Leeds’ second goal:
Leeds’ second arrived in the 75th minute following a frantic scramble inside the Forest penalty area.
James Justin’s effort appeared to strike Lukas Nmecha before the ball eventually crossed the line, with Neco Williams also involved in the desperate attempt to keep it out.
The goal was ultimately recorded as an own goal by Williams, but Earnshaw immediately focused on the possibility that Nmecha was in an offside position when the ball came off him.
Speaking on ITV, the former Forest forward was adamant that the goal should not have stood.
“That is absolutely offside. You see here as Justin hits it, it hits Nmecha, and he is offside.
“Nmecha is in front of the goalkeeper and the defender on the floor, and it definitely hits him on the way in.
“Absolutely no doubt that would have been disallowed with VAR because Williams stops it going in first time, then it goes in after that.”
It is an argument that is inevitably going to create debate among Forest supporters, particularly because there was no VAR available for the Carabao Cup tie.
The official match record confirms that Williams was ultimately credited with an own goal in the 75th minute, giving Leeds a 2-0 advantage.
Would VAR have changed the decision?
That is the question Forest fans are now likely to ask.
Had the game been played with VAR, the officials would have had the opportunity to examine the entire sequence, including Nmecha’s position, Justin’s attempt and Williams’ involvement.
But without the technology, the referee had to make the decision in real time.
That makes Earnshaw’s claim particularly significant because the former Forest striker believes the incident would have been overturned if VAR had been operating.
There is another layer to the controversy, too.
While Earnshaw concentrated on Nmecha’s potential offside position, the scramble itself involved several players attempting to prevent the ball from crossing the line.
The official decision ultimately stood, and Leeds were able to celebrate a second goal that effectively ended Forest’s hopes of recovering from another difficult night against Farke’s side.
Leeds have now beaten Forest twice
For Leeds, the argument over the second goal will do little to spoil what has been an excellent few days.
Farke’s side defeated Forest 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday before returning to the City Ground and winning 2-0 in the cup.
That means Leeds have scored three times without conceding in their two visits to the stadium in the space of just a few days.
The cup victory was also achieved with a rotated team, demonstrating the depth Farke now has available to him.
Daniel James opened the scoring in the 50th minute after being played in by Sean Longstaff, firing into the top corner to give Leeds the lead.
Forest attempted to respond, but James Trafford again made an important contribution, saving from Chris Wood as the hosts searched for an equaliser.
Leeds eventually found the second goal in the 75th minute, with the chaotic sequence ending in Williams putting the ball into his own net.
Forest’s complaints won’t change the result
There will undoubtedly be plenty of discussion surrounding the incident, especially after Earnshaw’s strong assessment.
However, Leeds’ performance cannot simply be reduced to one controversial moment.
The Whites had already demonstrated their ability to frustrate Forest during Saturday’s league encounter, when Stach’s spectacular free-kick settled a tight contest.
This time, Farke’s players went one better and scored twice.
Forest will understandably feel aggrieved if they believe the second goal should have been ruled out, but the result remains the same.
Leeds are through to the Carabao Cup third round, while Forest are left to pick up the pieces after suffering two defeats against the same opponent at home within just three days.
For Farke, it is another significant boost at the beginning of what has been an extremely promising campaign.
For Forest, meanwhile, the debate over the officials is likely to continue long after the final whistle.
Nafisa
