Sean Dyche tore into officials after another controversial corner cost his Nottingham Forest side dear in a pulsating 2–2 draw with Manchester United at the City Ground.
The Forest boss was left raging when referee Darren England and his assistant Akil Howson awarded a corner that led directly to Casemiro’s opener for United. Dyche branded the call “farcical” and demanded that VAR should be allowed to intervene in such situations.
The flashpoint came when Nicolo Savona chased his own defensive header from Bryan Mbeumo’s delivery. The Italian looked to have hooked the ball back before it crossed the byline, yet Howson flagged for a corner from 75 yards away. United took full advantage, Casemiro nodding home from the resulting set piece to give Ruben Amorim’s men the lead.
Under current rules, VAR cannot review incidents that result in a corner instead of a goal kick, even if that corner leads to a goal. Dyche was incredulous. “There has to be someone who can step in and overrule that. It’s gone against us and they’ve scored from it. Two in two weeks is farcical,” fumed the Forest boss.
Dyche, who also saw his team punished by a debatable corner in last weekend’s defeat at Bournemouth, questioned how such an error could happen again. “You might get one of those a season. The assistant has given it from miles away, with no clear view. We can see the ball’s not out. It’s hanging over the line but still in play. It’s really disappointing,” he said.
Despite the early setback, Dyche’s men roared back after the break. Morgan Gibbs-White struck to level the match before Savona made amends for the earlier controversy with a close-range finish that sent the home crowd wild.
Forest looked on course for their first win under their new manager, but United had the final say. With nine minutes remaining, Amad Diallo unleashed a thunderbolt from distance that flew past Matt Turner to snatch a point for the visitors.
The draw leaves Forest still waiting for that elusive first victory under Dyche, who was visibly seething at full-time. “You can talk about defending set pieces all you like, but it should never have been a corner in the first place,” he said.
With two contentious decisions in consecutive weeks, Dyche’s patience with the officials – and the limits of VAR – appears to have snapped. “If VAR can rule on offsides and red cards, why can’t it check whether the ball’s gone out?” he demanded.
Few could argue with his frustration after another chaotic afternoon for English football’s most talked-about technology.
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