Furious Nottingham Forest make official complaint about refereeing in defeat against Manchester United

The Reds left Old Trafford stunned when taking advantage of some questionable defending from the hosts to go two goals up inside four minutes. United hit back to take all three points, but the performance of referee Stuart Attwell made as many headlines as those put in by Bruno Fernandes and Co.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and head coach Steve Cooper were left fuming at Attwell following the final whistle in Manchester, with The Telegraph claiming that their grievances have now been taken to PGMOL chief Howard Webb – with this not the first time that the East Midlands-based outfit have felt the need to tread such a path since returning to the top-flight in 2022.

Forest have taken issue with big decisions that went against them at Old Trafford. Captain Joe Worrall was shown a straight red card for a foul on Fernandes early in the second half, despite fellow defender Willy Boly seemingly getting round on the cover. United were then awarded a penalty for a supposed trip on Marcus Rashford by Danilo – with both on-field decisions upheld despite VAR checks.

Attwell has incurred Forest’s wrath before, with a penalty shout waved away during a crucial promotion-chasing clash with Bournemouth back in 2021-22. Saturday’s game with United was Attwell’s first in charge of the Reds since that match at the Vitality Stadium, and he has done little to improve his reputation in the eyes of those at the City Ground.