Stephen Warnock delivers verdict on key decision during Nottingham Forest draw
Today at 02:00 PM
Nottingham Forest fought back to claim a share of the spoils against Brighton and Hove Albion with Ramon Sosa netting his first Reds goal.
The Paraguayan international was on hand to steer home a pass from Jota Silva and ensure the Reds left the AMEX Stadium with something for their efforts.
Forest had gone in front through Chris Wood but Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck turned the game full circle.
Sosa equalised for Forest but then the Reds had to play the final 10 minutes with a man less after Morgan Gibbs-White was dismissed.
Stephen Warnock delivers verdict on Morgan Gibbs-White sending off
The pundit was working for BBC Sport today on Radio 5 Live and he was on hand to give his verdict on the game’s big decisions.
Warnock was close by when Gibbs-White committed to a challenge on Joao Pedro to thwart a Brighton counter-attack.
He’s now delivered his verdict on the decision and suggested that perhaps the referee – or the fourth man who appeared to get him to change his mind – was right.
He told BBC Sport: “It was right in front of us. Straight away I was thinking credit to Gibbs-White – he has covered the ground and stopped the counter-attack.
“You see it again on the replay and everything looks worse on a replay, the ankle [of Pedro] collapses underneath him but that is momentum.
“Rob Jones takes his time and he is getting booed off the pitch for the way he has refereed the game. I thought he handled it OK, he took his time to make the decision.
“We have come to accept this season that the referee’s decision on the pitch is the final decision and I don’t mind that.”
Forest have to plan for Fulham minus Gibbs-White
It’s not ideal that Forest go into next week’s very winnable home game against Fulham without their talismanic captain.
That said, the likes of Silva and Sosa coming in and making an impact does bode well ahead of being minus Gibbs-White next week.
The Reds battled hard in this game at Brighton and ultimately, they were richly deserving of their point at the end of the game.
Gibbs-White did play plenty of the ball but in making the tackle he did give the match officials a decision to make.
Forest now have to plan for Fulham without Gibbs-White and it will be fascinating to see what Nuno Espirito Santo decides on.
