Here’s why Forest’s second goal against Liverpool was allowed, even though Liam Delap had a ‘foul throw’.
Fans were a bit puzzled and thought Nottingham Forest’s second goal against Liverpool shouldn’t have counted because of a foul throw before it—but now there’s an explanation.
Both Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola are still waiting for their first Premier League wins with their new clubs after Liverpool and Nottingham Forest played an exciting, back-and-forth game at Anfield. Forest scored first thanks to Dan Ndoye in the 24th minute, but Liverpool equalized around the 60th minute when Alexander Isak finished off a great pass from Cody Gakpo.
Forest then took the lead again in the 70th minute with a penalty scored by Morgan Gibbs-White. The penalty came after some confusion, as Liam Delap was accused of a foul throw before Neco Williams got to the ball. When Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson brought Williams down, the referee had to award the penalty.
Many fans on social media were confused why the referee or assistant didn’t call the foul throw, pointing out that it looked like Delap had lifted his foot off the ground, which isn’t allowed. Some said things like, “VAR missed it, the assistant missed it—it’s crazy!” and others added, “There’s no point having throw-in rules if they’re ignored.”
However, former Premier League referee turned journalist Graham Scott explained on X that the VAR can’t review fouls throw-ins and it seems Delap’s foot only left the ground after releasing the ball, which means the throw-in was actually legal.
Liverpool’s Victor Munoz scored a smart goal eight minutes before the end to rescue a point for the Reds.
Liverpool’s coach Iraola was also frustrated about how long it took for the fourth official to show the substitution board, which delayed their substitutions by about three minutes before Forest’s penalty. He told BBC Match of the Day, “The penalty situation was over by the time the contact happened, and it wasn’t aggressive. But the long wait for subs was annoying. We tried to make changes earlier but had to wait way too long.”
Speaking to TNT Sports, Iraola added, “A professional fourth official shouldn’t take three minutes. We gave him the subs a couple of minutes before and still had to wait. It really slowed things down.”
Liverpool’s next game is against Ipswich Town on September 4.