JUST IN :Brian Laws delivers verdict on Nottingham Forest incident involving Murillo

Nottingham Forest ended their unbeaten start to the 2024/25 Premier League season after losing 1-0 at home to Fulham.

   The Reds lost when Murillo brought down Andrea Pereira shortly after half-time and Raul Jimenez scored from the penalty spot.

   Forest can count themselves unlucky not to be awarded a penalty themselves when Anthony Elango was brought down by Calvin Bassey soon after.

   It was one of those decisions that could have been soft, but it wasn’t really that different from the one referee Josh Smith gave Murillo.

   Forest had to settle for a 1-0 defeat as a dull second half ended with Forest failing to create any meaningful chances after falling behind.

   Had the game finished 0-0, both teams would have actually won and progressed to the next weekend with another point on the board.

   Brian Laws split the verdict on Murillo’s decision in Forest’s defeat

   The Reds need to shake it off quickly ahead of a very challenging game against Chelsea next weekend.

   Forest relaxed shortly after half-time when Nuno Espirito Santos’ somewhat unusual game plan seemed to be working.

   However, falling behind was not part of the process and Forest simply threw piles of mud at the wall after falling behind in the hope that something would stick.

   But he didn’t and Murillo was forced to throw his hands up and admit it was his mistake that ultimately cost Forest the chance to grab some points.

   Laws – rather surprisingly – didn’t think the defender could be too much of a problem.

   He told BBC Radio Nottingham: “Murillo is looking at the ball and he was actually on the back foot… the problem is the hands on his back.”

   VAR discrepancies rear their ugly head again

   Forest could do with a nice quiet afternoon as far as the match referees are concerned, but once again they find themselves cursing more inconsistencies.

   If the VAR, John Brooks, deems the alleged foul on Pereira to be a recheck, then he will surely have no choice but to do the same and recommend a retrial for the Elanga challenge.

   In our opinion, it’s not right that the game was arranged for a really soft review that was requested by a guy sitting miles away watching the game on TV.

   Smith officiated in the Premier League as he tried to prove himself, and it has to be said that it wasn’t a particularly commanding performance.

   Forest have no choice but to dust themselves off quickly and hopefully the Reds can return to Chelsea next weekend with a more positive performance.