VAR. Penalties given and not given. Social media posts uploaded and deleted. This was a match with no shortage of talking points.
But one of the biggest concerns for head coach Steve Cooper will be how little noise Nottingham Forest actually made on the pitch. For long spells they were toothless at Molineux.
Just when it was hoped a hard-fought draw against Aston Villa could be a turning point, defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers felt like a backward step - literally and figuratively. Not only did the Reds slip back to the bottom of the table as their winless streak stretched to eight league games, they also struggled to build on much of the positivity from Monday night.
READ MORE: Cooper makes 'very honest' Forest admission amid dismal run
READ MORE: Reds boss sends clear Brennan Johnson message
A tough watch
After a run of shipping goals, Forest have tightened up at the back. Switching to a four-man defence has made them considerably more solid - and that was the case again on Saturday.
Wolves had a lot of possession, but centre-back duo Steve Cook and Scott McKenna held the line pretty well; both had decent games. A controversial penalty proved to be the difference in the end.
At the other end of the pitch, however, the Reds offered so little by way of attacking threat. They had a few bright moments without really making the most of them. And they could easily have got something out of the game, through a penalty or a headed chance for Ryan Yates towards the end. But in general, this was a tough watch.
The visitors lacked the creative spark and movement up front to cause their opponents problems. Cooper was as disappointed and frustrated with the overall performance as much as the result. Somehow, he has to find the right balance between staying tight at the back while being braver going forward.
Penalty controversy
Cooper admitted he was having to “bite his tongue” when discussing the officials in his post-match press conference. The inference was clear, though.
“We know the referee well from last season. We had him in the Championship,” he said. “We know the differences of what you can get with him. So we knew that was part of what we had to deal with today.”
Forest felt they should have had a spot-kick in the first half, when a Neco Williams shot was charged down. And their annoyance grew when a similar handball incident resulted in a penalty for the hosts after the break.
An Adama Traore shot struck Harry Toffolo and, after a lengthy review, referee Thomas Bramall went to his pitchside monitor before pointing to the spot. It seemed harsh. It was certainly not clearcut. And that was Cooper’s main gripe -”if it’s taking that long and it’s not given in the first place, then it tells you something,” he argued.
Regardless, it didn’t help that his team had afforded Traore so much time and space in the first instance. That was always asking for trouble.
VAR intervened again late on, this time for a foul on Ryan Yates. Again, there was a considerable break in play and Bramall checked the footage on his monitor. Penalty awarded in the Reds’ favour this time.
In both cases, however, the length of the delay was particularly frustrating. Such long stoppages help no one - players, fans or managers - especially when the final call still comes down to human judgement.
In the spotlight
It takes guts to step up for any penalty. More so in the final minutes of a game when your team are 1-0 down and desperately in need of a result.
Brennan Johnson has dug Forest out of a hole countless times already in his short career. The club wouldn’t be where they are without his heroics of last season - there’s a reason why Cooper was so keen to hang on to him in January amid strong interest from elsewhere.
He is an exceptional talent. That hasn’t changed - particularly as he is far from the only one in the squad struggling for form.
Johnson is having a tough time of it. But some of the abuse directed his way on social media is uncalled for.
Questioning the manager’s selection choices and having an opinion on a player’s performance is one thing. But there has to be a line. Hammering a 21-year-old who is playing only his third season of regular first-team football and is still getting to grips with the Premier League serves little purpose, other than potentially doing more harm than good.
Johnson was denied from the spot by a good save from Jose Sa. He hasn’t been able to exert the influence he would like to have done in recent games, but there can be no questioning his commitment or work ethic - as some have done. He always puts a shift in.
It may well be that taking him out of the firing line by leaving him out of the XI for a spell could be helpful. That’s up to Cooper’s judgement. However, even if that is the case against Brighton on Tuesday night, it should in no way be a reflection of Johnson’s ability or potential. Things aren’t going his way right now, but even when he’s having a quiet game, he’s capable of popping up with something, as he has in the past. And he’s still more than good enough to make his mark on this league.
Twitter woes
There was always a risk the club’s ‘playtime’ tweet, alongside a mock-up picture of Emmanuel Dennis with three wolf pups, could come back to bite them when it was posted from the official account ahead of the match. Twitter is full of potential pitfalls at the best of times and can trip up even the most experienced of heads. Forest showed little of that boldness or bravery to back it up on the pitch, while the hosts admitted it gave them a “bit more of an edge”.
The tweet was deleted shortly before kick-off. But not before it had gone viral, screenshots had been taken and it had been shared in Wolves’ group chat.
Not only did Wolves get their own back by taking all three points, they stuck the knife in on social media, too. At full-time, their official account posted a picture of an axe - which bore the club badge - embedded in a tree, alongside the message “playtime’s over”. To further rub salt in the wound, the advertising hoardings in the background of the image read, “safe trip back Notts Forest”. Ouch.
Cooper said he hadn’t seen the pre-match post, when quizzed about it immediately after the final whistle. “I haven’t seen it. It’s the first I’ve heard of it, so it’s difficult to make a comment. Maybe I will, as and when I see it,” he said.
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