Nottingham Forest player ratings as Yates the penalty shootout hero and others shine in FA Cup win
Nottingham Forest clinched their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup courtesy of a penalty shootout win over Brighton and Hove Albion after the tie had finished 0-0 after extra-time.
The Reds had thrashed their opponents 7-0 when the teams met in the Premier League at the City Ground last month. But they were without striker Chris Wood, who scored a hat-trick in that game, due to a hip injury he sustained while on international duty for New Zealand.
In Wood’s absence, Taiwo Awoniyi led the line on the south coast. And it was the Nigerian who had the first real opportunity of the game, foreign a save from Bart Verbruggen with 15 minutes played.
It was a strong start by the visitors and they saw plenty of the ball in the first half. But Yasin Ayari fired a warning shot in their direction when his effort from range flew just wide before the half-hour mark. Matz Sels had to deal with a fierce strike from Pervis Estupinan shortly after, then Carlos Baleba wasn’t too far away from a breakthrough on the stroke of half-time.
After Morgan Gibbs-White tried his luck in the second half, the Reds were awarded a penalty for Kaoru Mitoma’s challenge on Elliot Anderson. However, the decision was overruled after a VAR check.
Forest continued to push forward but with no breakthrough in the 90 minutes, the tie went to extra-time. Brighton came close to a winner but Sels thwarted Diego Gomez with a brilliant stop and it meant a penalty shootout to decide the tie.
Anderson, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nikola Milenkovic and Ryan Yates scored from the spot while Sels made two big saves to keep out the hosts as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side triumphed 4-3. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Amex Stadium.
Matz Sels: Other than having to make an unconventional save in the first half, wasn’t overly tested until he had to tip over a header in extra-time. Made some excellent saves in the shootout. Rating: 8/10
Ola Aina: One of a few players who linked back up with their teammates late in the week after being on international duty. You wouldn’t have known it from his lung-busting run in the final minutes of normal time, though. Rating: 8.5/10
Nikola Milenkovic: A typically rock-solid performance from the centre-back. Swept up pretty much everything that came his way and gave the hosts barely a look-in. Rating: 8.5/10
Murillo: Little sign of any hangover from his tough debut for Brazil earlier in the week. A few loose clearances early on but otherwise a generally steady display and some nice passes in there. Rating: 8/10
Neco Williams: Mr Consistent strikes again. Limitless energy to get up and down the pitch, offering an outlet going forward while not neglecting his defensive duties. Immense, regardless of his miss in the shootout. Rating: 8.5/10
Nicolas Dominguez: Popped up all over the place as Forest’s set-up was pretty fluid. Never stopped running in a tireless display, maintaining the Argentine’s good form of late. Rating: 8.5/10
Ryan Yates: Felt he should have had a penalty for a foul just before the one was given (then ruled) in Anderson’s favour. In typical Yates style, constantly got under Brighton’s skin. A lovely moment when he scored the winning penalty. Rating: 8.5/10
Elliot Anderson: Controversially saw the penalty he won overturned. Forest were not happy as Mitoma’s arm appeared to catch Anderson’s foot. A fine performance by the midfielder regardless. Rating: 8.5/10
Danilo: Some decent delivery from corners in the first half. Not necessarily at his most influential but played his part in the Reds being tight and compact for the first hour. Rating: 7/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Plenty of lovely touches. Case in point was a delightful backheel to set Yates on his way, a few minutes after going close with a fierce effort. Hopefully Thomas Tuchel was watching… Rating: 8/10
Taiwo Awoniyi: Had the look of a man who meant business right from the off. Held the ball up well and seemed to relish the physical battle. Just tired a bit into the second half as lack of game time caught up with him. Rating: 7.5/10
Subs
Callum Hudson-Odoi (forDanilo, 61mins): Didn’t see a great deal of the ball initially but gradually worked his way into the game a bit more. Just couldn’t quite find the cutting edge. Rating: 7.5/10
Anthony Elanga (for Awoniyi, 61mins): Plenty of energy when he came on and had a few sights of goal. Certainly made a difference for the visitors. Rating: 8/10
Jota Silva (for Dominguez, 95mins): Had a glimpse of goal late on in extra-time but was denied by an important Brighton intervention. No shortage of commitment. Rating: 7.5/10
Morato (for Gibbs-White, 119mins): Barely had time to get into the game as he came on right at the death. Brighton did push late on, though. Rating: 7/10
Subs not used: Miguel, Sangare, Toffolo, Moreno, Boly.
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