Matt Turner the shoot-out hero as Nottingham Forest taken all the best way by Bristol City | EUROtoday
Nuno Espirito Santo’s antipathy in direction of FA Cup replays can have cranked up one other stage after Nottingham Forest had been pressured to go the space.
Yet there was an unlikely hero in Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner, who produced the pivotal save from Bristol City’s Sam Bell within the shoot-out.
Turner has been ruthlessly displaced by new signing Matz Sels after a string of poor shows however his save secured Forest a fifth-round date with Manchester United.
Bristol City fought valiantly over 210 minutes of soccer, coming agonisingly near successful the tie twice in extra-time.
Taiwo Awoniyi put away the ultimate penalty however this was removed from the end result Nuno wished for his depleted squad.
Fourteenth within the Championship, Bristol City’s league performances have dropped off in current weeks however they did embarrass David Moyes’ West Ham within the earlier spherical.
Under their extremely regarded head coach Liam Manning, City had been aiming to remove a couple of top-flight opponent in the identical FA Cup marketing campaign for the primary time since 1919-20.
Forest’s begin to the yr has additionally been difficult. Without a win within the league up to now in 2024, their season was turned the wrong way up final month by the Premier League’s cost for an alleged breach of monetary guidelines.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s issues have additionally elevated with an alarming scarcity of participant availability.
Taiwo Awoniyi has solely simply returned from a groin harm however Chris Wood, the main scorer, is now out for as much as eight weeks after tearing a hamstring.
Forest had been additionally with out the suspended Ryan Yates and Nicolás Domínguez, whereas new signings Matz Sels, Gio Reyna and Rodrigo Riberio had been ineligible.
Ibrahim Sangaré, Willy Boly (each Ivory Coast) and Ola Aina (Nigeria) had been away on the Africa Cup of Nations.
It ensured a uncommon begin up entrance for Divock Origi, the AC Milan loanee, whose personal future has been unsure amid curiosity from quite a lot of Major League Soccer golf equipment within the United States.
Yet it was the previous Liverpool ahead who supplied the essential contact for the opening purpose within the eighth minute. Morgan Gibbs-White’s nook was headed in direction of purpose by Felipe and Origi reacted rapidly to transform from shut vary.
Any hopes Nuno might have harboured of a cushty night time disappeared 5 minutes later. Andy King’s 20-yard shot got here again off each posts after a messy save from Turner and after the house defence didn’t clear Jason Knight fired house from inside the world.
The guests had been rising in confidence, exploiting Forest’s weaknesses. Turner was required to avoid wasting from Tommy Conway and the travelling City followers had been sensing an upset.
City completed the stronger and within the one hundred and tenth minute Nakhi Wells couldn’t present the ultimate contact from a couple of yards out.
Harry Cornick, the substitute, then lifted his shot over the bar with two minutes left.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/02/07/nottingham-forest-bristol-city-fa-cup-replay-matt-turner/