"The referee or the official should see it" - Roy Keane shocked by refereeing decision in Arsenal's 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes Arsenal should have had a penalty during their 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. The players involved in the incident were Gunners defender Ben White and Forest's Joe Worrall.

Joe Worrall was seen pulling Ben White's shirt in the penalty box while defending from a corner. However, officials failed to look into the offense and denied the Gunners a penalty.

Roy Keane also believed the Gunners should have had a penalty in the first-half. The former Manchester United captain stated that the referee and the officials should have been more careful since there was no VAR in the game. Speaking on ITV (via HITC), Roy Keane said:

“Oh, I just can’t believe what defenders are doing. Okay there’s no VAR but the referee or the official should see it. He’s taking such a risk.”

The referee's decision came back to haunt Arteta's men as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup. An 83rd minute strike from former Sunderland and Bournemouth forward Lewis Grabban was enough to knock the Gunners out of the cup.

Nottingham Forest will now take on FA Cup holders Leicester City in the fourth round.

The north London club are the most successful team in the history of the FA Cup. The Gunners recently lifted the cup under Mikel Arteta back in 2020 when they secured a 2-1 win over Frank Lampard's Chelsea.

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Arsenal have some important games coming up in January

The record-FA winners have some important games coming up in January, both in the league as well as in cup competitions. The Gunners take on Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby. It is a vital league game for the club, who are currently fourth in the standings and only two points clear of their arch-rivals. However, it is worth noting that Spurs have two games in hand over Mikel Arteta's side.

The Gunners also take on Liverpool in a two-legged semifinal in the Carabao Cup. The Gunners travel to Anfield on the 13th of January before playing the second leg at home a week later.

Arteta's men secured four straight wins against Southampton, West Ham United, Leeds United and Norwich City in December. The Gunners were one of the most in-form teams in the league before their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City on New Year's Day.