Nottingham Forest say they have made a formal complaint to officiating body the PGMOL over key decisions they feel went against them in Saturday’s defeat to Manchester City.

Sources briefed on the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, indicated the club have put their concerns in writing regarding two key moments they believe referee Rob Jones and his team of match officials got wrong.

Forest felt that City defender Ruben Dias was fortunate to escape a second yellow card for a foul on Igor Jesus early in the second half, which brought a halt to a promising attack.

Manager Sean Dyche also believed that Morgan Gibbs-White had been fouled by Nico O’Reilly in the build-up to City’s 83rd minute winning goal from Rayan Cherki.

Forest have asked to be provided with the audio of the match officials’ conversations during the game, while Dyche is expected to speak to referee chief Howard Webb directly over the incidents.

“I will catch up in due course. I thought I made my own thoughts clear and they have not really changed,” Dyche said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of Everton in the Premier League on Tuesday.

“We are hoping for better going forward. There have been a couple of harsh calls on the day (against City) and a soft penalty against Fulham. Eventually you have to make sure you stand up for yourselves, because in the game against Manchester City there was a lot that went against us.

“On a day when you have played really well, you do not want decisions to go against you when they impact on the outcome. The biggest one being the second yellow card. Do not get me wrong, City are a fine side so, if they had gone down to ten men, it would not have guaranteed anything. But it would have given you a better chance.

Cherki scored City’s winner against Forest (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

“It was a very simple decision to make. We are hoping for better in the future.”

There is a history of incidents involving referee Jones and Forest. During Nuno Espirito Santo’s first game in charge of Forest, in December 2023, Jones showed defender Willy Boly a controversial second yellow card when he himself appeared to have been fouled.

Nuno subsequently served a touchline ban in October 2024 after Jones sent him to the stands at Brighton, when he took his complaints over a red card shown to midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White too far.

The PGMOL (the professional game match officials limited) declined to comment on the matter. But it remains keen to engage with clubs on a regular basis, privately.