Nottingham Forest should have had one penalty in Everton defeat – KMI Panel

The Key Match Incident Panel is independent and made up of three former players or coaches, one Premier League representative and one from the Professional Game Match Officials Board, the referees’ body.

It reviews the big refereeing decisions from each Premier League round of fixtures and unanimously agreed Forest should have been given a penalty when Young brought down Hudson-Odoi in the 55th minute.

“Young inherits the risk by going to ground from the wrong side and Hudson-Odoi beats him to the ball. It is a foul,” the panel wrote in their decisions, seen by BBC Sport.

“It was felt unanimously that a penalty should have been awarded and VAR should have intervened on the basis that Young doesn’t make any contact on the ball and that there is evidence that his contact with Hudson-Odoi has the consequence of tripping the attacker.”

They also voted 5-0 that VAR should have intervened.

The panel was split 3-2 over the on-pitch decision over whether Forest should have been awarded a spot-kick when the ball hit Young’s arm in the 44th minute, but all agreed VAR was correct not to intervene.

They argued it was a subjective call but “the majority considered this a dynamic situation where the arm was in a justifiable position, and with no clear action to deliberately handle the ball. In addition the close proximity from which the ball was played by the attacker was taken into account.”

They also agreed, in a 5-0 decision, that Young’s 24th-minute challenge on Reyna did not warrant a penalty and that VAR was correct not to step in.

The panel wrote: “The ball isn’t played, there is contact by the defender on the attacker but any contact is minimal and is exaggerated by the attacker, and falls below the high threshold for a penalty.”