Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo admitted frustration and emotional tension were running high after club owner Evangelos Marinakis confronted him on the pitch following a damaging 2-2 draw with relegated Leicester City on Sunday.
The result at the City Ground dented Forests chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League, with their fate now out of their own hands heading into the final stretch of the Premier League campaign.
Marinakis appeared visibly agitated after substitute Facundo Buonanotte struck late to rescue a point for the Foxes, sparking a tense exchange between the Greek owner and Nuno after the final whistle.
"Today was a hard day for everyone connected with the club," Nuno told Sky Sports . "Champions League qualification was in our control - now, it's not. But we haven't been good enough, particularly in defence, and that's costly."
Addressing the confrontation with Marinakis, the Portuguese manager pointed to a substitution mix-up involving Taiwo Awoniyi as the source of tension.