Diop's red card position sparks debate

Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 at Portman Road. Less than five minutes into the second half, Ipswich centre-back Issa Diop slid in on James McAtee. Referee Thomas Bramall did not blow his whistle at first, but the VAR room directed him to the monitor to review the incident.

After watching the replay, Bramall awarded the foul. However, he judged that McAtee had nudged the ball forward toward goal with one last touch, so he did not treat it as the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity. Diop was therefore shown a yellow card and a free kick was given.

Forest head coach Oliver Glasner argued that the challenge was a clear red card. Diop, speaking to the cameras after the match, said he was fairly sure he would remain on the pitch while the decision was being reviewed.

Sky Sports pundits were also split on the incident. Lee Hendrie said Diop was very lucky and criticised the referee's reasoning. Ashley Young, however, defended the decision at the end of the match. The incident has raised again the question of how referees should judge the final touch on the ball.