Martin O’Neill was left seething after Nottingham Forest were denied victory by an 89th-minute penalty that should never have been.
Referee Lee Mason fell for a dive by Dwight Gayle that is likely to see the West Bromwich Albion forward punished retrospectively, as Jay Rodriguez scored from the spot.
Gayle seemed to anticipate contact from Alexander Milosevic, but there was none. He hurdled to the floor regardless and Mason awarded the penalty. A two-game ban for ‘successful deception of a match official’ is possible.
Forest’s angst was exacerbated after Joe Lolley was denied a spot-kick of his own when clearly tugged in the area by Kieran Gibbs in the closing stages.
O’Neill said: ‘I have spoken to the referee. He’s said if it was a mistake it was an honest mistake and I accept that. Everyone I’ve spoken to says it was a dive. The defenders say there was no contact.
‘But Lolley’s was a penalty so it’s a double disappointment. I can’t do anything about it. It would have been great to win the game away from home against side looking for automatic promotion.’
West Brom’s defence has been generous this season and more charity arrived in the sixth minute. Jack Colback benefitted from Craig Dawson’s loose pass, played a one-two with Lewis Grabban, and picked out Ryan Yates with a low cross.
While it seemed the young midfielder had tapped in, replays showed he had mishit his shot and benefitted from a deflection off Stefan Johansen, so it was an own goal.
After the break Rakeem Harper struck a spectacular volley that smacked against the bar. And a minute later Darren Moore’s team were level.
Forest failed to deal with Gayle’s cross, Mason Holgate powered a shot towards goal, Jay Rodriguez nudged the ball back, and Jacob Murphy arrived to stab home.
But Forest retook the lead in the 65th minute. Jack Robinson launched a flat long-throw that bypassed much of West Brom’s defenders, Grabban chested the ball down and Yates swept his finish in off the post.
There was no mistaking this goal was his, a first in a Forest shirt for the 21-year-old academy product.
‘We were lethargic,’ Moore said. ‘The positive was the way the players kept going.’
