'The referee claims...' - Dermot Gallagher makes surprising Nottingham Forest penalty claim after Everton win

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has given his verdict on the penalty incidents that occurred during Everton’s win over Nottingham Forest.

Goals from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil helped Everton to a much-needed victory over the weekend at Goodison Park but the game has been drowned in controversy as Forest have protested against three penalty incidents that they believe should have gone their way.

Forest were incensed and it led to a post on X which slated the PGMOL - in what has been a highly condemned post - and pointed the finger at VAR official Stuart Attwell. As a result of the debate, the Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch panel reviewed the situation and former referee Gallagher weighed in on all three incidents involving Everton’s Ashley Young. Speaking on the first penalty incident with Giovanni Reyna, he said; “I think no (penalty) the referee has a perfect view and there’s contact but not all contact is a foul - it’s minimal contact. We have to be careful we don’t sanitise the game where every bit of contact is deemed a foul.”

Moving on to the second incident, which Young allegedly handled the ball from a Callum Hudson-Odoi attempted cross. “This is the most difficult call. The referee will think he’s running and his arms are in a natural position or that he’s too close but I think that can go either way.”

In terms of the third incident involving Hudson-Odoi again, Young was seemingly the wrong side of his man as both players came together but nothing was given - and this was a decision that Gallagher believes was easy to make. “I think it’s a penalty for a couple of reasons; firstly, the defender has gotten the wrong side of the forward. Secondly, the referee claims that the defender has played - which he hasn’t.”

Jeff Winter, a former referee in England’s top-flight, claims that there is possibly grounds for Atwell to take legal action against Forest after such comments. Speaking to OLBG, he said."Stuart Attwell has been put in a very awkward position here. He possibly has a case for legal action against Nottingham Forest. "Although I doubt that will happen because as an employee of the PGMOL it will be them and indeed the FA who decide what will happen next.

"To doubt the integrity of match officials is just adding fuel to the flames and Nottingham Forest hopefully will print a retraction on this or otherwise face the consequences. We have always had situations where referees have been criticised, but to say it’s been done because of their support of another club is taking it to a new level."