Nottingham Forest, a team from the Premier League, required additional time to secure victory against Blackpool from League One in an exciting FA Cup third-round replay held at Bloomfield Road.
Forest seemed to be on track for a smooth entry into the fourth round when Danilo extended the lead to 2-0 in the opening minute of the second half, following Andrew Omobamidele’s 16th-minute goal on his debut for Forest.
However, Blackpool mounted a spirited comeback at the lively Bloomfield Road. Albie Morgan, responsible for the errant backpass that led to Danilo’s goal, redeemed himself with a superb 25-yard strike to pull one back. Substituted player Kyle Joseph then headed in from close range, leveling the score at 2-2 and setting the stage for a frenzied finale.
In the eighth minute of extra time, Blackpool came close to clinching the victory, but Orel Mangala delivered an incredible goalline block after Karamoko Dembele maneuvered past Forest goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
During the early stages of the second period of extra time, the visitors regained the lead. Ryan Yates’ low cross from the left was met by Chris Wood, who turned it in for the decisive goal that secured the win.
Neil Critchley, the manager of Blackpool, expressed his belief that the goal might have been disallowed for offside. He noted that the absence of video assistant referee (VAR) technology during the replay, despite being employed in the initial match held at a Premier League ground, was detrimental to the “integrity of the competition.”
As a result of their victory, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team is set to face Bristol City away in the fourth round on Friday, January 26.
Forest’s touching tribute to Kouyate
There was a touching tribute to Forest midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, who had been with his country Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations but left the camp earlier on Wednesday following the death of his father.
Following Forest’s initial goal, Omobamidele displayed a shirt with the message ‘Thinking of you, Kouyate,’ bearing his teammate’s number 8 on the back. The Forest players collectively posed with the commemorative shirt after the conclusion of the match.
“Cheikhou has been through a tough time, he lost his father,” said Espirito Santo. “We heard the news before the game and wanted to show we care and our thoughts are with him.
“He is a very important guy in the dressing room and on the pitch with his experience and his knowledge, and our thoughts are with him.”
In the initial match, Blackpool secured a two-goal advantage, but Forest staged a comeback to equalize 2-2, leading to the replay. However, in the rematch at Bloomfield Road, the script was flipped as the top-flight team allowed their lead to slip away.
The first half showed no indications of the impending drama, with Forest appearing to be in control. Omobamidele, the Republic of Ireland international defender making his Forest debut after an £11m move from Norwich City on September’s transfer deadline day, volleyed in at the back post following a flick-on by Yates from Nicolas Dominguez’s corner.
Danilo swiftly doubled Forest’s lead in the second half, capitalizing on a poor backpass from Morgan. Home goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw had to be substituted due to an injury sustained while saving the initial shot that led to Danilo converting the rebound.
Morgan redeemed himself with a spectacular 25-yard strike, offering hope to Blackpool, who are currently eighth in League One. Joseph’s header from close range then leveled the score at 2-2, setting the stage for an exhilarating finish.
With 10 minutes remaining in extra time, Wood netted a goal to put Forest back in the lead, but there was still room for more suspense.
In the 122nd minute, substitute goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell joined the attack for a corner, but Forest quickly countered. Unfortunately, they couldn’t capitalize, as a 60-yard shot missed the target.
Having suffered a 4-1 defeat at Bloomfield Road against Blackpool in the previous season’s FA Cup third round, Forest successfully preserved their lead this time, ensuring there was no repeat of that outcome as they progressed in an enthralling match.
For Forest, this victory was a valuable and hard-fought achievement, especially considering the challenges they faced in the preceding week. Earlier in the week, they, along with Everton, were charged with breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
This charge could potentially lead to a points deduction, jeopardizing their status in the top-flight. Nonetheless, Forest’s FA Cup triumph spared them from what would have been an embarrassing exit.
‘This is why I love the FA Cup’
“This is the FA Cup and that’s why it is so special,” added Espirito Santo. “It allows every team to show, play and fight. We had our problems but all credit to Blackpool.
“This is why I love the FA Cup. It is very special and we have to go for it. It was tough and very demanding but we did the job.
“At the beginning of the second half I thought the game was over, we made mistakes and that allowed Blackpool to get back into the game, but in extra-time we showed we deserved to win.”
Critchley had before the game challenged his side to “create a memory in a magical competition” and afterwards was proud of his players’ efforts.
He said: “To go all that way and to not have anything to show for it is hard to take. Over the course of 120 minutes you couldn’t really tell the difference between the two teams.
“I thought we were brilliant, had a real go and made it an exciting cup tie. The atmosphere was fantastic and to come back from 2-0 down shows the spirit, I’m just bitterly disappointed we didn’t take it to penalties.
“I love the cup and we did the competition proud. We’ve earned Forest’s respect and I take that as a massive positive.”