Nuno Espirito Santo delivers stern message to Philip Billing following red card

Philip Billing (right) was sent off (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Nuno Espirito Santo delivered a stern message to Philip Billing after the Bournemouth substitute was dismissed for what the Nottingham Forest boss felt was a “compromising” challenge on Callum Hudson-Odoi.

The incident happened late in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at the Vitality Stadium, where Hudson-Odoi had cancelled out Justin Kluivert’s fifth-minute opener before the break.

Referee Rebecca Welch, who was booed off the pitch, issued Billing a straight red card in the 84th minute of the stop-and-start contest when he clipped the Forest goal-scorer’s Achilles in a midfield challenge. The sight of Hudson-Odoi limping off dampening an afternoon in which relegation-threatened Forest picked up a valuable point.

Nuno, who agreed with Welch’s decision, said: “It’s obvious that it’s a red card and it’s not fair because I think, with all my respect to Billing, I hope he understands when he listens to these words.

“There’s other ways to stop the game. There’s other ways, without compromising the player, you know what I mean? There’s other ways.”

There were few clear-cut chances in the second half a contest that was characterised by its stop-and-start rhythm, with 31 fouls and 17 corners collectively conceded.

The hosts quickly established a lead from Lewis Cook’s corner, flicked on by Luis Sinisterra to Kluivert, who tapped the fifth-minute opener past January signing Matz Sels on his Forest debut, before Hudson-Odoi drew the sides level.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola disagreed with Welch’s decision to send off Billing and – when asked if he agreed with his counterpart’s assessment that the game had been “not easy at all for the referee” – said: “I think there haven’t