Nottingham Forest players fuming over late Brentford winner, says Steve Cooper after damaging defeat
Nottm Forest manager Steve Cooper on Brentford's late winner, awarded after a VAR offside check: "The guys are fuming, the subs and staff could see it live and we thought it would be the opposite. I'm waiting to see the clear-cut image... You can't make it on judgement or assumption"
Sunday 30 April 2023 09:15, UK
Steve Cooper admits he has doubts about the VAR angle that allowed Brentford to score a late winner against his Nottingham Forest side - who he said were "fuming" over the fact it stood.
Josh Dasilva crashed in a 94th-minute winner through Keylor Navas at the near post to damage Forest's survival hopes - but VAR checked a potential offside interference by Yoane Wissa, who was in the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper's vision.
VAR deemed Wissa to be onside but when he looked at the angle in real time, Cooper expected the Brentford forward to be called offside.
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He said: "The guys are fuming, the subs and staff could see it live and we thought it would be the opposite. I'm waiting to see the clear-cut image to make it ok. You can't make it on judgement or assumption.
"If he is offside, he would have been affecting with the goalkeeper's vision. If it is onside, it is onside. I really hope at this stage of the game and the season that they didn't make a call when they're under pressure on assumption.
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"I hope I see it [an image where Wissa is definitely onside]. It's a massive call. It will make the headlines for you guys [journalists]."
Forest led for most of the second half through Danilo's second goal in two games - but Cooper's side threw away their lead in the final minutes of the game.
On 82 minutes, Ivan Toney's free-kick squirmed through Navas' body and the Forest goalkeeper could have done better for Dasilva's winner as he let it through his hands.
Cooper blamed the scoreline's negative turnaround on tiredness in their third game in seven days.
He said: "It was always going to be a tiring game, the third in a week. Players with fatigue, hot day. It wasn't a game with real quality. A game with moments. You see that with the goal we scored, it was a scramble.
"It was always going to be a tiring game, the third in a week. Players with fatigue, it was a hot day. It wasn't a game with real quality. A game with moments.
"You see that with the goal we scored, it was a scramble, you try and create moments like that. It was just about trying to accept Brentford were going to have the ball and it was about trying to manage that and we did. I didn't see us conceding a goal."
Asked on goalkeeper Navas, Cooper said: "I just think now is not the time to speak about anybody. It's about real togetherness and sticking together. It's a tough one to take."
