'Poor decisions': Nottingham Forest defender hits out at officials after Sunderland defeat

Nottingham Forest defender Neco Williams insisted that he was fouled by Arthur Masuaku in the build up to Omar Alderete's winning goal for Sunderland.

Alderete's header was a controversial moment in the game, with Nottingham Forest adamant that Nicolas Dominguez should not have been penalised for simulation for the initial free kick. Williams then believes that he was fouled by Masuaku, which allowed Alderete to head home from a matter of yards.

"It's a tough one to take," Williams told Sky Sports.

"It was a game where we just didn't finish off our chances. We created many chances but just couldn't put it to bed. We should have defended the free-kick better but, at the same time, I've never seen a referee give one of those free-kicks before in all my time of playing football. There was contact, so he got it wrong, and for the goal I was held back. He had two arms around my waist and that played a key factor in their goal. It is two poor decisions, especially by the referee and then the people on VAR.

"We kept going until the end. They didn't create many chances, we created many but the end product just wasn't there. We couldn't put our finishes to bed so it was just one of those games.

"We are working hard in training. We are still learning the style of the manager and, as soon as it clicks, we'll be good to go. We will get there but it's just about getting that first win."

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Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou delivers verdict on Sunderland defeat

Ange Postecoglou said Omar Alderete's goal against Nottingham Forest shouldn't have stood but refused to blame the referee for his side's defeat.

“It was a whole range of decisions from the officials, from awarding and then some holding in the box," Postecoglou said.

"But I still think we were way too lax in our determination to keep the ball out of the net. I just thought it was a really disappointing goal to concede, particularly in a game where we were pretty much in control. It’s not a game where Matz Sels has made a lot of saves and kept them out. Frustrating. Disappointing. It’s another game we have allowed to get away from us, where really we should be very comfortably overcoming [the opposition].

“The result is positive but when you look at the different phases and moments in the game we have many things to improve. We are at the level for some of the parts but for others it's pretty obvious we have to improve. For example, the way we build-up the play under pressure. There's room for improvement.

“The most important thing is to have 11 points. When you can win points, do it because it's not easy. We can't become complacent. That's absolutely impossible. The lads are well connected with this idea. They are proud to win away but aware that we have to be better in many points in our game model.”

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