Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche unleashed a scathing critique of Premier League officiating after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at the City Ground on 27 December 2025, a loss he insists was decided by the match officials.
A Game Decided by Controversy
The match seemed destined for a draw after Omari Hutchinson cancelled out Tijjani Reijnders' 48th-minute opener for City. However, Rayan Cherki struck a late winner seven minutes from time, sparking immediate fury from the Forest camp.
The decisive moment came just before the goal, when Forest were denied a free-kick after Morgan Gibbs-White was pushed to the floor. The incident was checked by VAR but no foul was given, allowing City to launch the attack from which they scored.
Dyche's Explosive Post-Match Reaction
When questioned post-match about decisions going against his team, Dyche did not hold back. "A couple? Possibly! There's no thought about it," he declared. "Obviously, we've all seen it back. It’s an awful thing when you have played so well to have to come in and talk about the officials affecting the game. But they clearly did."
He expressed particular bewilderment at the VAR's inaction. "I'm a big fan of VAR, but I can't work out how you can't get that right. Morgan Gibbs-White quite clearly gets pushed to the floor... And then they score from it, which is the double whammy."
A Catalogue of Grievances
Dyche's frustration extended beyond the pivotal moment, citing other incidents he felt were mishandled by referee Rob Jones.
Key complaints included:
- A Manchester City player booting the ball into the crowd without receiving a booking.
- The same player bringing down Forest's Igor Jesus in the second half, which Dyche argued should have resulted in a second yellow card and a dismissal.
"I just find it bizarre, I really do," Dyche added. "I think these are easy things to referee. I’m a big fan of referees and think they have a really hard job... But why am I getting in trouble (for speaking out)?"
Despite the bitter disappointment, the Forest boss praised his team's performance against the reigning champions. "Great pride in the team today. We limited them to low-level chances and created some big moments ourselves. So many great performances. It’s unfortunate we’re having to speak about other things. It’s unfathomable, for me."
The result saw Manchester City return to the top of the Premier League table, while Forest were left to rue what they view as costly officiating errors that overshadowed a valiant display.
