After a game of contrasting fortunes, Sean Dyche criticised VAR decisions after Nottingham Forest lost 2-1 to Manchester City, while Pep Guardiola praised his side’s mentality.
Sean Dyche didn’t hold back in his post-match interview and said match officials had a bad day at the office after Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester City. The Forest manager was left furious by two key decisions that went against his side. He described them as bizarre and said the game was an easy one to referee. Dyche felt the officials directly affected the outcome.
Forest were minutes away from a valuable point against an in-form City side. Instead, they were left empty handed and hovering just above the relegation zone. A draw would have moved them six points clear of West Ham in 18th. That context fuelled Dyche’s frustration after full time.
Manchester City took the lead early in the second half through Tijjani Reijnders before Omari Hutchinson equalised for Forest. Rayan Cherki then struck in the 83rd minute with a half volley from the edge of the box. City held on to claim a 2-1 win at the City Ground to extend their strong run of form.
Dyche believed Cherki’s winner should have been ruled out for a foul on Morgan Gibbs White. He argued that Nico O’Reilly pushed Gibbs White to the floor in the buildup. Forest players immediately appealed, but referee Rob Jones allowed the goal to stand. VAR checked the incident and did not intervene.
Dyche claimed that everyone inside the stadium and at home could see the foul. He questioned how VAR failed to overturn what he viewed as a clear decision. He also criticised the logic used to justify the goal. Dyche insisted that pushing a player to the floor was a foul regardless of where the ball was.
Former official Darren Cann offered a different view. He said the decision was subjective and not a clear and obvious error. Cann felt the referee’s call should stand due to the lack of consensus.
Dyche was also unhappy that Ruben Dias was not sent off. The City defender was booked for dissent in the first half. Early in the second half, Dias brought down Igor Jesus as he broke forward. Jones awarded a free kick but did not show a second yellow card.
Dyche said similar incidents usually result in a dismissal and Diaz should have at least been shown a second yellow card. He described the decision as baffling and said it was another easy call missed. Cann disagreed again, saying the contact was accidental and minimal. He stressed that not every foul on a yellow card warrants another booking.
Pep Guardiola took a calmer tone after the match. He praised his players for their mentality in a tough away fixture. Guardiola said Forest were an outstanding team and difficult to face, and claimed would have lose the game last season. He highlighted City’s focus and discipline as key factors.
The win marked City’s sixth straight victory and sent them top of the table temporarily. Guardiola also joked about losing all the kilos he had gained during Christmas after the result. He confirmed City had now completed the first half of their league season.
Forest conceded their 53rd goal in the final 15 minutes, the most by any side since their returning to the top flight in 2022-23. Igor Jesus impressed with 16 duels contested, the most of any Forest player, and won eight aerial duels, the joint-game-high, level with O’Reilly. It was also the first time Forest lost back-to-back Premier League games under Dyche since he took over from Ange Postecoglou in October. His poor from against Guardiola continues, failing to win any of the 17 Premier League meetings with the Catalan (D2, L15). Dyche also confirmed Chris Wood faces a prolonged absence after knee surgery.
City travel to Sunderland next as they look to maintain pressure on Arsenal before facing Chelsea and Brighton. Forest remain 17th and will hope frustration turns into points soon. They host Everton on Tuesday before travelling to Aston Villa and West Ham.
