Ten-man Nottingham Forest were left to reflect on key decisions which went against them as they fell to a fourth successive defeat.
Martin O’Neill’s men were beaten 2-0 by Sheffield United, with Mark Duffy and Enda Stevens clinching the three points for the hosts once Yohan Benalouane had been sent off.
Reds reporter Paul Taylor gives his verdict on the Championship clash in our latest Forest video.
The visitors had a penalty claim waved away in the first half, with Jack Colback instead booked for simulation when up against George Baldock in the Blades’ area.
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It was a 15th yellow card of the season for the Newcastle United midfielder, bringing an early end to his loan spell at the City Ground as the resulting three-match ban will put him out of the remaining games of the campaign.
Forest had held their own against their promotion-chasing opponents before the break, but the dismissal of Benalouane shortly after the restart left them with a tough task ahead.
The defender was handed a straight red card as he looked to stop David McGoldrick bursting forward. However, it was a call which sparked much debate, with the amount of contact - as well as whether Benalouane was the last man - being questioned.
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Nevertheless, United quickly made the most of their numerical advantage as Duffy curled in a fine strike just a few minutes later.
The Reds then needed a couple of big saves from Costel Pantilimon to keep them in the game.
But just when they were having a decent spell of their own and trying to push forward, they were dealt a killer blow as Stevens sealed the victory.
With three fixtures left to go, O’Neill’s side will now look to end their losing run when they face Middlesbrough on the banks of the Trent on Monday.
