Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo bemoaned another poor refereeing decision after he felt James Maddison should have been sent off during their 3-1 loss at Tottenham.
Spurs playmaker Maddison was involved in an off-the-ball incident with Ryan Yates in the 44th minute, which ended with the Forest captain in a heap on the floor.
Yates urged referee Simon Hooper to review the incident and replays showed Maddison did catch the Forest midfielder with a whack to the stomach, but VAR decided not to take action when the score was still 1-1.
Nuno said: “It doesn’t look like he punched him, he punched him. I saw the image and that is why I speak to you.
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“I was surprised that VAR didn’t tell Simon to review it better because honestly with all my respects, Maddison loses his composure and it is a punch in the stomach of Yates.
“It should have been reviewed and a different decision. It is not a shirt with players that looks like nothing happens, no. No, it’s without the ball.
“So, there are two moments we mention (Chris Wood’s miss) in the first half that can change the game.
“I didn’t ask (Hooper), but I saw it. There is no problem in telling I didn’t see it the same way. We didn’t agree, me and VAR.”
Forest could have been ahead by this point but Wood, after he scored for a fourth consecutive match, hit the post from a matter of yards after Guglielmo Vicario had denied Yates in the 34th minute.
Spurs went on to score twice in quick succession after half-time through Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro to end Forest’s three-match unbeaten.
It also ensured Nuno endured an unhappy first return to Tottenham since his 2021 dismissal after only 17 matches in charge.
While the Portuguese described it as a “special” occasion, he insisted his full focus was on 17th-placed Forest improving their survival chances at home to Wolves – another of his old clubs – next week.
“It was a pleasure to work here at Spurs. It was an honour. Things didn’t work out and didn’t finish well. I keep going, Spurs keep on going,” Nuno reflected.
“It was special to come here. It is always special to come to a place where you worked, but it doesn’t take away the focus. My focus is on Forest and we have to do much better next week because we are in a tough fight.”
Odegaard: Arsenal 'didn't do enough' in Fulham draw
Martin Odegaard conceded Arsenal "didn't do enough" against Fulham, as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.
The Gunners missed the chance to move within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, whose showdown with Everton was postponed on Saturday due to adverse weather conditions.
Mikel Arteta's side controlled large periods of the contest, enjoying three-quarters of the possession, but had to settle for a share of the spoils after William Saliba cancelled out Raul Jimenez's opener.
Bukayo Saka saw a late header ruled out for offside following a VAR review, but Odegaard acknowledged Arsenal required more to get the job done.
"We dominated most of the game," he told Sky Sports. "The first half wasn't great. We were a bit sloppy and lacked energy and power.
"The second half was a lot better. It's frustrating not to win. We were close in the end with the goal.
"They're a good team. They know how to defend. A solid block. We didn't do enough today. We have to learn from that and go straight back in for the next one.
"We did a lot of good things. We have to do more and put the ball in the box more times, maybe, be a bit more direct and aggressive. We could have won it in the end.
"It's a very long way to go. We've said hundreds of times, we have to keep going game by game. We have to focus on ourselves. We don't care about the other teams [in the title race]."
Meanwhile, Marco Silva felt Fulham could have been better, but saluted the commitment and fighting spirit demonstrated by his side, who have now suffered just one defeat in their last seven games.
"The first thing is to praise the players for their commitment," the Cottagers boss said. "On the ball, it wasn't the game we like to play normally. The weather conditions weren't the best. They are really strong in the pressure.
"In some moments, we should have kept the ball. Not many chances [for Arsenal] I think were good chances. We knew they'd start the second half strongly.
"I'd like to see us making better decisions because we had some good moments to punish them more, but they equalised.
"Second half, I felt the energy wasn't there because, when you have so much time without the ball, you need fresh legs. Overall, the commitment and fighting spirit was really good."
Leicester City 2-2 Brighton: Late Foxes fightback thwarts Seagulls
Leicester City scored twice in the closing stages to come back from 2-0 down and draw 2-2 with Brighton in the Premier League.
The Seagulls appeared to be on course for a comfortable victory, with a stunning first-half strike from Tariq Lamptey having been followed up by Yankuba Minteh's effort 11 minutes from time.
Brighton had controlled matters from the off, and Minteh's goal will have been the least Fabian Hurzeler felt his side deserved.
Yet, Leicester talisman Jamie Vardy dragged Ruud van Nistelrooy's Foxes back into the contest as he poked in from close range to set up a grandstand finish.
And Vardy was involved in the 91st-minute equaliser, teeing up Bobby De Cordova-Reid to tap in and claim a draw in dramatic fashion.
Leicester are now 16th, with Brighton in seventh, having missed the chance to apply more pressure to their fellow European contenders.
Data Debrief: Seagulls' King Power Stadium winless streak continues
Brighton have now failed to win two of the last three Premier League games in which they have led by two or more goals, as many as in their previous 40.
The Seagulls are still seeking their first Premier League victory away at Leicester, the joint-most they have faced a side on the road without registering a single win (also seven against Manchester City).
Vardy inspired Leicester's turnaround. Aged 37 years and 332 days, the forward is the second-oldest player in Premier League history to both score and assist a goal in a single match, after Manchester United's Ryan Giggs against Fulham in December 2011 (38 years, 22 days).
Ipswich Town 1-2 Bournemouth: Ouatarra the hero in late comeback
An inspired display from substitute Dango Ouattara earned Bournemouth a huge 2-1 victory over Ipswich Town, who remain without a win in the Premier League at Portman Road.
Ouattara netted the winner in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time, having set up Enes Unal for the equaliser eight minutes earlier.
The home side took the lead in the first half through Conor Chaplin's sweeping finish after good work by defender Cameron Burgess, before Unal bundled a header home with the help of goalscorer Burgess’ outstretched foot.
But the Cherries sealed the win late on, with David Brooks seeing his effort saved by Arijanet Muric, with the rebound falling fortuitously to Ouattara to poke home.
Sunday's win moves Bournemouth up to eighth in the table, while Ipswich remain in 18th, four points adrift of Crystal Palace.
Data Debrief: Ipswich snatch defeat from the jaws of victory
After their latest defeat, Ipswich have now lost 15 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season. No team has lost more. It is a habit Kieran McKenna will need to correct if the Tractor Boys are to stay up.
However, this was the first time they have lost after leading at half-time in the competition this season, and the first time overall since September 2001.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, have now scored in their last eight games in the Premier League this season, scoring 15 goals in the process which is their longest streak in the league this season.
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