Referee error before Liverpool's winner at Nottingham Forest causes controversy

Referee Paul Tierney should have given Nottingham Forest the ball back minutes before Liverpool's dramatic 99th-minute winner that sparked chaotic scenes at full-time.

When Tierney stopped play in the 96th minute after Ibrahima Konate went down in the Liverpool box with an apparent head injury, Callum Hudson-Odoi was in possession of the ball but, when play stopped, Luiz Diaz kicked the ball back toward the Liverpool goal.

Play then restarted with an uncontested drop ball that was given to Caoimhin Kelleher but Sky Sports News understands that this should have been given to Nottingham Forest. IFAB law 8.2 states "the referee drops the ball for one player of the team that last touched the ball at the position where it last touched a player."

Liverpool proceeded to win a corner at the other end of the pitch before scoring a 99th-minute winner through Darwin Nunez to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League table - leading to chaotic scenes at full-time.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis could be seen by the side of the pitch at the full-time whistle as others remonstrated with the officials over the late decision. Steven Reid, a member of the Forest coaching staff, received a red card from Tierney.

After the game Forest's referee consultant, Mark Clattenburg said he had not spoken to Tierney about the incident and it was "too early" to say whether the club would send a letter of complaint to the PGMOL.

Clattenburg said: "What we will be doing is speaking to the PGMOL, with my relationships that I have with the PGMOL and the Premier League, and we will discuss what happened on the field of play today, and we will look at the course of action in the future.

"Under the laws of the game, the team that has possession