Nottingham Forest referee analyst Mark Clattenburg bemoaned the officiating in the build-up to Liverpool’s dramatic winner at the City Ground on Saturday.
Clattenburg added he was not allowed into the referees’ dressing room to speak to Paul Tierney after the game.
Forest players surrounded Tierney after full-time, fuming at the decision to give Liverpool the ball following a head injury to Ibrahima Konate.
The home side had possession when play was stopped.
However, Tierney restarted the game with the ball at the feet of Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Darwin Nunez then scored the winning goal one minute and 50 seconds later.
“[Forest] should have had the ball back,” Clattenburg, who took up his new role at the City Ground last month, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“If the referee stops the game, he has to give the ball back to the team in possession. That was Forest.”
Forest coach Steven Reid was shown a red card for remonstrating with Tierney after the full-time whistle.
Clattenburg, who was spotted with referees’ chief Howard Webb during Forest’s FA Cup defeat by Manchester United on Wednesday, officiated in the Premier League for 13 years between 2004 and 2017.
As per International Football Association Board (Ifab) rules, the former official was right in that the game should have restarted with a Forest ball.
The decision did not lead directly to the goal, however, with Forest regaining possession before Nunez eventually scored the winner.
“When [the ball was] given to the keeper, with Liverpool scoring afterwards, you can see why [Forest] are aggrieved,” Clattenburg continued.
“I haven’t spoken to the referee – I’ll leave that to the club. I went to go into the referee’s dressing room [after the game] but he wouldn’t allow it.”
Speaking on Match of the Day, former Premier League striker Alan Shearer said the referee had dropped a “big clanger”.
“He’s got it totally wrong,” he said. “Hudson-Odoi has the ball and then he blows. He then gives the ball back, unchallenged to the [Liverpool] goalkeeper, which is totally wrong.
“It should be a Forest ball on the wing where it was touched. If you drop it to where Forest should have had it, everything changes.”
In August, Forest lodged a complaint with referees’ body the PGMOL over the performance of the officials in their 3-2 defeat at Manchester United.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo was also furious with the decision to allow two of Brentford’s goals in the Bees’ triumph over Forest in January, while he also felt his team should have been awarded a “clear penalty” for a foul on Taiwo Awoniyi in last month’s defeat by Newcastle.
“Forest have felt a lot of decisions have gone against them,” Clattenburg said. “Everyone is upset and sad that they’ve lost this way.
“We need to hope the club’s luck changes in the future.”
