FOREST HISTORY · Historic event
Toney foam controversy at Brentford
On this day in 2024 Forest lose 3–2 at Brentford as Ivan Toney’s free-kick sparks controversy.
Forest left Brentford with frustration after a 3–2 Premier League defeat shaped by both the scoreline and the controversy around Ivan Toney’s free-kick.
The evening had started well for Forest. Danilo put Nuno Espírito Santo’s side ahead inside the opening minutes, taking a touch after Brentford failed to clear and volleying in from the edge of the area. Brentford fought back, but Chris Wood later headed Forest level at 2–2 after Danilo worked the ball to Callum Hudson-Odoi, whose cross picked out Wood’s run between the centre-backs.
The flashpoint came with Toney’s equalising free-kick on his return from an eight-month betting ban. Referee Darren England had marked the position of the ball with vanishing spray, but replays showed Toney moving the ball to his right and appearing to move some of the foam with it. That gave him a slightly better angle to bend the free-kick around Forest’s wall and inside the near post.
Forest were furious that the repositioning had not been spotted. Nuno said the ball displacement should have been checked, and the club later wrote to the Premier League and PGMOL for an explanation. The response only added to the sense of grievance: VAR protocol did not allow officials to intervene over the placement of a free-kick, leaving the decision with the referee and assistants on the pitch.
Neal Maupay eventually scored Brentford’s winner, leaving Forest beaten despite goals from Danilo and Wood.
The match was remembered less as a normal away defeat than as one of those Premier League afternoons where the argument continued long after full-time.
Sources
ESPN; Sky Sports; Reuters; The Guardian
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