Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães sinks Nottingham Forest but Nuno cries foul
Newcastle are back to being the great entertainers of the league, their 24 Premier League matches taking in 90 goals, and they know how to write a thriller. There were plenty of plot twists in this victory, aided by a degree of calamity in defence as the hosts conceded two from set pieces and gifted Bruno Guimarães the winner, minutes after Nottingham Forest had a penalty appeal turned down.
Anthony Elanga sent an errant pass from the edge of the box to the Brazilian who got the ball out of his feet and picked out the bottom corner to seal Newcastle’s fourth straight away victory in all competitions. Forest were still seething from the injustice they felt after Anthony Taylor failed to adjudge that Martin Dubravka had fouled Taiwo Awoniyi in the box with the score at 2-2. The result leaves Forest two points above the relegation zone with a potential deduction looming after a Premier League charge to add to the pressure on the pitch.
Asked if he thought a penalty should have been awarded, Nuno Espírito Santo said: “Yes, clearly – definitely. I saw it over and over again. For me, it is a clear penalty. Maybe Anthony Taylor does not have a clear view of the incident because it is behind but when you have the chance to have VAR to check it and see the clear replays, I think it is obvious that is why I don’t understand not giving the penalty.”
It was a reasonable assessment from the Forest manager but he cannot do much to influence the decisions of officials. What he can help do is remove the basic errors from his team, who showed great potential going forward. Forest have conceded 15 times from set pieces, excluding penalties this season, a statistic that will make the coaching staff wince. When the ball goes into the box panic inevitably sets in among the defence. Guimarães, who operated in a more advanced role in midfield than usual, volleyed in a well-worked corner to instigate the chaos, while Fabian Schär regained the lead when he struck home a knock-down from Sven Botman after a straight free-kick was launched forward by Kieran Trippier.