Liverpool defender Andy Robertson came to the rescue of a young supporter at the end of Saturday’s dramatic win over Nottingham Forest. The Reds stayed top of the Premier League thanks to Darwin Núñez’s 99th minute header at the City Ground.
But Forest were incensed after a mistake from referee Paul Tierney gave the away side possession two minutes before that goal. A number of players and coaches confronted Tierney at the final whistle while owner Evangelos Marinakis even made his way down onto the pitch.
Footage of the chaotic scenes has now emerged with Robertson seen helping a young boy over a barrier onto the pitch, while angry Forest supporters targeted members of the Liverpool coaching staff calling them ‘cheats’ amid a barrage of expletives.
Robertson then led the six-year-old over to the away fans and the youngster was then seen being held aloft by Harvey Elliott on the pitch. He was also pictured with Jürgen Klopp and Luis Díaz.
Referee Tierney opted to give possession to Liverpool rather than Forest, who was on the attack when play was stopped due to a head injury. Ex-official Mark Clattenburg, who is now a referees’ analyst for the City Ground side, says the decision was against the rules of the game.
Marinakis followed Tierney down the tunnel and could face an FA probe, with Clattenburg revealing: “The owner is quite upset because, of course, he has invested a lot of money in the club. He wants to see results and he feels that another decision has gone against the club.”
However, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo was not in the mood to discuss Tierney’s error, stating: “I will not comment on the referee. Please don’t insist on that, it will not be good. It will be a discussion point, for sure, in the week. I hope the decisions will be better. It is tough to take, I am proud of the boys. They did everything well until the last moment.
“We played a very good game, limited Liverpool, a fantastic team. They had chances, we had chances, it was a good game of football. We had clear chances and should improve. We played good but the team that are clinical get the advantage in the score. Our fans deserve to go home happy and they are not.”
