“Nuno didn’t want it” – Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell drops Nottingham Forest claim after FA Cup classic.
After 150 minutes, Nottingham Forest defeated Exeter City to advance to the FA Cup Fifth Round on Tuesday night.
Josh Magennis put the home side ahead, sending St James Park into a frenzy, but Ramón Sosa leveled things up after 25 minutes.
Forest took the lead with a nice move and finish from Taiwo Awoniyi with eight minutes to play before half-time. It appeared like the larger guys would control the game.
However, Magennis scored again five minutes after the interval to tie it 2-2, and a cup classic was on.
Both sides had opportunities to win, with Jota Silva coming closest with a late shot, while Joe Whitworth was busy in the City net throughout the game.
However, the Grecians had opportunities, as did Pat Jones, Jay Bird, and Ilmari Niskanen, all of whom passed up chances to make history.
Grecians debutant Ed Turns received a straight red card for a lunge on Morgan Gibbs-White late in normal time, and Awoniyi was later brought out on a stretcher with a fractured nose, adding to the drama in injury time.
Exeter against Forest was an FA Cup classic.
It was action-packed from start to finish, and attendees got their money’s worth with three hours of excitement for around £20.
However, with both teams having opportunities to win in regulation time, the outcome might have been quite different.
Gary Caldwell, City’s manager, claimed that despite having just 10 players, he went for it late on, and he believed Nuno Espírito Santo did the same.
Both managers sought to avoid extra time, which is a new feature in the FA Cup this year, with replays being replaced by games decided on the night.
“I thought it was a heroic effort, it feels like we’ve been playing for about three days!” Caldwell spoke to Exeter’s media crew after the final whistle.
| Exeter City 2-2 Nottingham Forest (Forest win 4-2 on pens AET) match stats, per FotMob | |||||||
| Exeter City | Nottingham Forest | ||||||
| Possession | 23% | 77% | |||||
| xG | 1.2 | 2.48 | |||||
| Shots | 12 | 31 | |||||
| Big Chances | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Big Chances Missed | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Fouls | 10 | 23 | |||||
| Corners | 8 | 10 | |||||
“I believed we had annoyed them. The fact that there were two goals was disheartening. I think these were soft goals from our perspective, and we could have done better in those actions.
“I didn’t feel like they sliced us open in the second half, and I think we played even better with that game plan. They became more furious, made more passes, and this is not a game they usually play.”
Caldwell delivered a good tactical performance, despite coming under fire from some parts of the Grecian crowd in recent weeks for a succession of dismal league games.
Caldwell: Neither side wanted more time.
While both sets of players and coaches certainly wanted to win on the night, the danger of extra time was something both managers were eager to avoid, with the league taking precedence for both as City attempt to turn around their dismal record and Forest continue to pull up trees in the top division.
“The sending off obviously has a huge impact on the game,” Caldwell explained. “But once again, we dig in. When the finishers came on, we bet the game in the final ten minutes.
“I didn’t want extra time, and I’m very sure Nuno didn’t either. Both teams had opportunities. We had two fantastic opportunities at the time with Jay Bird and Pat Jones. On another night, one of them could come in.”
Both sides now need to recuperate their hurting bodies before turning their attention to the weekend.
Tuesday’s hosts face a tough relegation struggle against Cambridge United in League One, while Forest continue their Champions League campaign away to Fulham.
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