Ivan Toney foamgate free-kick not to be sanctioned by Premier League

Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who returned to action last Saturday after an eight-month ban, took advantage of a loophole in the Premier Legaue rules to score a goal in his side's 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.

The striker moved the ball and referee's spray forward so that he could take the free-kick from a closer position and ended up smashing it into the net.

The footage was shown on television and went viral on social media, prompting Forest to ask the Premier League referees' association for an explanation.

However, he confirmed that the VAR cannot intervene in such situations and therefore could do nothing about the English player's cheating.

"We have received the response for the incident and they are clear that the rules say that the VAR cannot do anything when moving the ball," Forest coach Nuno Espirito Santo said on Wednesday.

"It's something that should be reviewed because it can change the reality of the game, but at the same time we also have our responsibility because we should have said something and prevented the shot from being taken like that. It's also too bad that the referee or the linesman didn't notice. The referee should have seen it because there is a mark and the ball is displaced, but well, it's over now and we have to move on," added the Portuguese coach.

Toney made his return on Saturday after an eight-month ban for breaking the league's anti-gambling rules 232 times. The striker was not allowed to train until last September and was not cleared to play until 17th January.