Sean Dyche expressed his surprise at Igor Jesus having a goal disallowed during Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool, but it was another refereeing decision that truly frustrated the head coach.
Jesus believed he had scored his first Premier League goal for Forest, only for referee Andy Madley to rule it out for handball after VAR intervention. Despite this setback, Forest went on to secure a comfortable win with goals from Nicolo Savona and Morgan Gibbs-White in the second half.
Assistant coach Ian Woan was booked for disputing the decision to disallow Jesus’ goal, much to Dyche’s dismay. Dyche questioned how his assistant could be punished for simply expressing his viewpoint in a restricted technical area.
Dyche shared his surprise at the goal being overturned and voiced his frustrations about the booking, highlighting the limited space available for coaching staff to work in. He criticized the rules that restrict coaches from discussing players on the pitch in front of their bench, describing it as unnecessary and hindering their ability to do their job effectively.
Dyche emphasized the importance of being allowed to work without unnecessary interruptions or restrictions, calling for a more pragmatic approach to the rules governing coaching behavior on the sidelines.
The Premier League Match Centre later confirmed that VAR had upheld the referee’s decision to disallow Jesus’ goal due to accidental handball.
