Wayne Rooney Backs Manchester City's Controversial Goal: Disagrees with Nottingham Forest Boss Sean Dyche
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney supports the decision to allow Rayan Cherki's Manchester City goal to stand, despite Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche's protests over a potential foul. Dyche criticized the match officials for their decisions during City's 2-1 victory at City Ground.

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney believes it was right to allow Rayan Cherki's Manchester City goal to stand despite Sean Dyche's protestations that Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White was fouled in the build-up. The France international scored a late winner in a 2-1 victory at City Ground but Forest boss Dyche felt his side were robbed of a point - something Rooney disagrees with.Dyche slammed some "bizarre" decisions by the officials in the wake of their 2-1 loss to City on Saturday. The former Burnley manager felt Cherki's winner should not have stood as he believes Gibbs-White was fouled by Nico O'Reilly moments prior. The ex-Everton boss also thought referee Rob Jones should have shown City centre-back Ruben Dias a second yellow card in the second half.He said, "Such an easy game to referee, in my opinion, such an easy decision for VAR [video assistant referee]. When you played so well, to come in and have to talk about officials affecting the game - but they clearly did. Everyone in the stadium and everyone watching at home could see that. Morgan Gibbs-White quite clearly gets pushed to the floor and the same player is involved in blocking the ball. But he can't block it because as he jumps up, it goes through the bit of his body which he would have blocked it with."Whichever way you look at it it's a foul. They'll say, 'Yeah, the ball wasn't there'. And you go, 'OK, so if the ball's not near the keeper and you push the keeper to the floor, is that going to be a foul then?' We all know it is. I can't work it out. And then they score from it, which is the double whammy. I'm a big fan of VAR - I can't work out how you can't get that right."For all of Dyche's complaints, ex-England international Rooney feels the right decision was made, and if anything, O'Reilly was the one fouled. He said on BBC Match of the Day, "I actually think it's a foul of Nico O'Reilly. If you look at Morgan Gibbs-White, he grabs O'Reilly's arm and then he locks his leg into O'Reilly and pulls him down. So I've got no complaints. I think the goal should have stood."Dias received a first booking for dissent in the first half, with the Portugal defender not happy that he was penalised for a challenge on Igor Jesus. Early in the second half, the 28-year-old brought down the striker again and that is when Dyche feels Jones should have reached for his pocket again. He added, "They say it's an accident. If that's an accident when he's running through on goal we all know what happens. You get a red card. So why is it an accident and he isn't yellow carded then? I just find it bizarre, I really do. And I think these are easy things. Just give him a second yellow, that's it. 'Off you go'. I'm absolutely stunned."Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingForest, who are five points clear of the relegation zone but sit 17th in the table, round off their year at home to Everton, whereas City are next in action on 1 January, 2026, away to newcomers Sunderland - who are yet to be beaten at the Stadium of Light this season. While the Tricky Trees came away with nothing, City boss Pep Guardiola feels their future is very bright.He told BBC Match of the Day, "Sean Dyche has again created a team with a huge personality, it's so difficult to break. Igor Jesus won all the duels. It's been a really, really, tough game. They have a fantastic team...Gibbs-White, what a player! And [Elliot] Anderson! Christmas time, Nottingham Forest away and that team, if you don't have the right mentality...it's impossible to win the game today."
Rooney Stands by Controversial Call
Wayne Rooney, speaking on BBC Match of the Day, defended the referee's decision to let Rayan Cherki's late winner for Manchester City stand. Rooney believes that it was actually Nico O'Reilly who was fouled, not Morgan Gibbs-White as claimed by Dyche. He analyzed the incident, highlighting Gibbs-White's actions against O'Reilly leading up to the goal.
Dyche's Frustrations with Refereeing Decisions
Sean Dyche expressed his frustration with the officials following Nottingham Forest's defeat to Manchester City. He felt that Gibbs-White was fouled in the build-up to Cherki's goal, and that City's Ruben Dias should have received a second yellow card for a challenge on Igor Jesus. Dyche criticized the use of VAR and questioned the consistency in decision-making.
Pep Guardiola Praises Forest's Resilience
Despite the controversy, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola lauded Nottingham Forest's performance and resilience. Guardiola commended Forest's players, particularly Igor Jesus, Gibbs-White, and Elliot Anderson, for their strong showing. He recognized the challenge Forest posed and emphasized the mental toughness required to secure a victory against them.