'He punched him' - Nuno Espirito Santo gives James Maddison verdict after Tottenham defeat

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo was left fuming over what he saw as a poor refereeing decision when James Maddison wasn't sent off for an incident involving Ryan Yates during their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham.

In the thick of the action, Spurs' creative force Maddison found himself tangled in an off-the-ball clash with Yates just before half-time, leaving the Forest skipper on the turf. Yates implored match official Simon Hooper to take another look at the clash, and while replays indicated that Maddison did indeed strike Yates in the midriff, VAR opted not to intervene, despite the game being poised at 1-1.

Speaking after the match, Nuno made his feelings clear. “It doesn’t look like he punched him, he punched him. I saw the image and that is why I speak to you," he said.

“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 taken the lead at this point, but Wood, who had scored in his fourth consecutive match, hit the post from just a few yards out after Guglielmo Vicario had denied Yates in the 34th minute. Spurs then quickly netted two goals after the break through Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, ending Forest's three-match unbeaten run.

Van de Ven answer, key Postecoglou decision — 5