Nottingham Forest’s remarkable penalty shootout prowess continued as they secured a dramatic 4-3 victory over Brighton in the FA Cup quarter-finals, booking their place at Wembley after a tense goalless draw at the Amex Stadium.
Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero of the night, denying both Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez from the spot before Ryan Yates stepped up to confidently bury the decisive penalty, sealing Forest’s passage to the last four.
Both teams came close to breaking the deadlock in the first half. Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen made a crucial save to deny Taiwo Awoniyi from a tight angle, while Carlos Baleba narrowly missed the target at the other end.
A controversial moment unfolded in the 63rd minute when Forest thought they had won a penalty after Elliot Anderson went down under pressure from Kaoru Mitoma. However, after a VAR review, the initial decision was overturned.
Brighton ramped up the pressure in extra-time, nearly snatching a late winner. Diego Gomez’s powerful header forced a brilliant stop from Sels, and Joao Pedro had the ball in the net, only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations.
With the match still goalless, Forest found themselves in yet another FA Cup penalty shootout, their third of the campaign. Sels set the tone by keeping out Hinshelwood’s attempt, and despite Neco Williams sending his effort over the bar, Forest regained control when Gomez’s strike was also stopped by the in-form goalkeeper.
Nikola Milenkovic and Lewis Dunk both converted, leaving the final spot-kick to Yates, who made no mistake in dispatching the winner.
The victory marks a historic moment for Forest, who have reached their first FA Cup semi-final since finishing as runners-up in the 1990-91 season.
The Tricky Trees have now won three shootouts in this year’s competition, a feat never before achieved in FA Cup history.
Not only that, but they maintain a perfect record in FA Cup penalty shootouts, winning all five they have contested, equalling Macclesfield Town and Stevenage as the most successful teams in the competition’s history.
Meanwhile, Brighton suffered another heartbreaking exit, losing their fourth consecutive shootout across all competitions for the first time.
Statistically, Forest edged the contest, producing a higher expected goals (xG) tally (1.66 to 0.96) despite both teams attempting 13 shots across 120 minutes. In the end, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men did just enough to claim a deserved victory and keep their FA Cup dream alive.
