Taiwo Awoniyi awful, Elliot Anderson vital – Nottingham Forest ratings v Brighton
Nottingham Forest and Brighton had to be separated by a penalty shootout in the FA Cup quarter-finals, with the former coming out on top.
It was a rather difficult watch considering two in-form Premier League teams were going toe-to-toe for a spot in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium, and the pressure was clearly too much as the game finished 0-0.
The most exciting moment came when referee Peter Bankes pointed to the penalty spot, with Elliot Anderson appearing to be brought down in the box by Kaoru Mitoma.
However, with the decision being overturned following a VAR check, the two sides could not be separated in normal time at the Amex Stadium.
With the last meeting seeing a total of seven goals scored, all scored by Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side, many expected goals in the FA Cup quarter-final, but not even extra time could provide the supporters with a dramatic winner.
Club captain Ryan Yates finally sealed the Forest’s spot in the next round with a winning penalty in the shootout.
Nottingham Forest and Brighton defences cancel each other out
Matz Sels – 8
Sels was mainly a bystander for much of the 90 minutes, only leaping into action on one occasion. That was until he pulled off a superb save in extra time to deny Brighton the win.
Ola Aina – 7
Aina continued pressing down the right flank, causing issues for the Brighton defence, and was unlucky not to walk away from the coast with a telling assist in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Nikola Milenkovic – 7
Made a crucial block in the final few minutes of normal time, having already been so rock-solid against Brighton’s attack. Has rarely put a foot wrong all season.
Murillo – 7
It is clear why Chelsea are so interested in Murillo, having won important duels, carried the ball forward and even created a chance that Forest could just not finish off against the Seagulls.
Neco Williams – 6
Could not offer his usual support going forward, being kept busy by Mitoma for most of the match. Lost a few battles, on the ground and in the air, but kept going until the final whistle and gave the fans something to cheer.
Elliot Anderson sets the standard in FA Cup quarter-final clash
Nicolas Dominguez (Off for Jota Silva 96′) – 6
A very smart performance from the Argentine, but having talked his way into the referee’s book, it was a sensible decision to take him off before a tightly-fought period of extra time.
Elliot Anderson – 9 – Man of the Match
Thought he had won a defining penalty for his team, only for the decision to be overturned. He was all over the pitch and showed exactly why Newcastle fans are keen to re-sign Anderson this summer.
Morgan Gibbs-White (Off for Morato 119′) – 7
Reasonably quiet display from the England international but continued prodding and probing for a winner at the Amex Stadium. Always capable of making a key impact out of nowhere.
Ryan Yates – 8
Picking up a yellow card in extra time sums up exactly how much Forest means to Yates. An incredible workhorse, gets stuck in, and even found the net in the shootout to see his team advance.
Danilo (Off for Callum Hudson-Odoi 61′) – 6
Cool, calm, collected in the middle of the park, but with Espirito Santo deploying multiple midfielders, he was unable to make much impact going forward, and needed to be replaced.
Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi add much-needed spark
Taiwo Awoniyi (Off for Anthony Elanga 61′) – 3
Was never going to replace Chris Wood in the centre of attack, with his only ability being to continuously put the Brighton defence under pressure, but to no avail.
Substitutes
Anthony Elanga (On for Awoniyi 61′) – 8
Caused absolute chaos for the Brighton defence, showcasing exactly why he and Hudson-Odoi needed to start the game rather than come on as late substitutes.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (On for Danilo 61′) – 6
Combined well with Elanga in the final third, just struggled to find enough space to score a long-awaited winner at the Amex Stadium.
Jota Silva (On for Dominguez 96′) – 4
Barely had an effect on the game after entering as a late substitute.
Morato (On for Gibbs-White 119′) – N/A