Mike Dean brands Paul Tierney's cock-up in Forest vs Liverpool a 'monumental error'
Mike Dean has called his former referee colleague Paul Tierney’s drop ball clanger a ‘monumental error’ in Forest’s defeat against Liverpool
Mike Dean has branded Paul Tierney’s drop ball cock up in Nottingham Forest’s defeat against Liverpool on Saturday a ‘monumental error’.
Referee Tierney has come under heavy criticism for his part in Liverpool’s last-gasp win at the City Ground to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League. Darwin Nunez headed home a 99th minute winner for the visitors after Tierney had incorrectly robbed Forest of possession by giving a drop ball the wrong way.
Play was stopped deep into injury time after Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher collided with Ibrahima Konate, leaving the defender on the deck. Tierney blew his whistle with Konate grounded in the Reds’ six-yard box. However, as he restarted play, Tierney gave possession to Liverpool despite Callum Hudson-Odoi having the ball on the wing in a dangerous position.
READ MORE: Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers 'mocks' female reporter 'good girl' storm in new interview
READ MORE: Mark Clattenburg slams ex-colleague after Liverpool win as he reveals Forest owner's 'upset'
Jurgen Klopp ’s side was subsequently allowed to attack and scored the game's only goal just over a minute later. Speaking to Sky Sports, Dean said: “Yeah unfortunately for Paul, it is a mistake and it’s a bad one as well – obviously it leads to a goal eventually. The law states that whoever has the ball last when the play is stopped, the ball foes back to them.
“Hudson-Odoi clearly had the ball and the ball should have been dropped to Nottingham Forest on the wing. I know they went and scored Liverpool. It wasn’t directly straight from the dropped ball, it’s closing on two minutes afterwards, so there is a big timescale in between.”
What do you make of Mike Dean’s comments? Let us know in the comments section.
Dean was asked whether the decision would’ve been the correct one had Tierney blown his whistle a second earlier, he replied: “Yeah, I mean then obviously Mac Allister would have touched the ball last, Liverpool would have touched the ball last, so the ball would have gone back to Liverpool then.
“Obviously the whistle went a second too late maybe unfortunately for Paul, it should have gone back to Forest and it’s just one of those things that transpires. It’s dropped to Liverpool wrongly, they go and score two minutes later after a throw-in and a corner and a chance to clear by Forest, but it’s just one of those things unfortunately.”
Forest fans, players and staff were understandably left furious with the decision which robbed them off a vital point in their battle to survive the drop, with even the owner Evangelos Marinakis appearing pitch side and apparently confronting Tierney in the tunnel.
“There’s been a big fallout and rightly so,” Dean added. “It’s a big error by the match referee, but it’s just something they’re going to have to live and learn from. It’s a mistake, we all know it’s a mistake. It does need someone to come out at the end the game straightaway and say it was a mistake.
“The chairman was on the pitch and we don’t want to see things like that happen when you see what happened in Turkey a couple of months ago where a referee got assaulted. We don’t need scenes like that after the game.
“Obviously Nottingham Forest are upset. I would have been upset if I’d have been involved with Nottingham Forest as well. Unfortunately for the referee, he’s made a monumental error. I think he’ll know that today that he’s made a mistake and hopefully he can rectify it in the future.”