Three penalty decisions involving Nottingham Forest and Manchester City in separate games at the weekend have shone a light on the "inconsistencies" surrounding refereeing decisions in the Premier League.
The Reds were denied a spot kick when Emmannuel Dennis was brought down in the box during the 2-2 draw with Brentford at the City Ground, while Ryan Yates and Morgan Gibbs-White had strong appeals rejected. Meanwhile, the Bees were awarded a penalty of their own when Dean Henderson brushed off Yoane Wissa at the end of the first half.
Meanwhile in Manchester, City were handed a last minute penalty against Fulham after Kevin De Bruyne hit the deck following contact from defender Antonee Robinson in the box. Erling Haaland duly converted from 12 yards to give the defending champions all three points.
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The incidents have led many to wonder why one was given as a foul and the other was not, especially when De Bruyne went down under minimal contact. Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith says the inconsistency in officiating is leading to frustrating outcomes for supporters and viewers.
"There isn't (any difference) at all (in the challenges)," the former Leeds United forward told Sky. "The De Bruyne one is very minimal contact and I think he is very clever, in that he feels the contact and he goes down.
"You see with Dennis, it's the same sort of instance when you look at them together. That's the frustration I think, the inconsistencies of it.
"If you're a Forest fan seeing that, you're thinking 'how on Earth have we not got a penalty?' While Manchester City got a penalty for a very similar incident."
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