Awoniyi fires Nottingham Forest past Bristol City in FA Cup shootout drama

Nottingham Forest players celebrate after beating Bristol City in a penalty shootout. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

Nottingham Forest squeaked through to the FA Cup fifth round after Taiwo Awoniyi scored the decisive spot-kick to win a nerve-shredding penalty shootout against Bristol City. Nuno Espírito Santo spent much of this fourth-round replay, including an entertaining period of extra-time, scuffing his feet on the edge of his technical area but Forest eventually prevailed against Championship opposition.

Sam Bell, otherwise outstanding, saw his penalty saved by goalkeeper Matt Turner in the shootout and Forest went through to tee up a date here with Manchester United in the next round. By the end of the drama, Divock Origi’s early opener, cancelled out a few minutes later by Jason Knight, felt a distant memory.

Forest’s priority is squarely on Premier League survival and, with injuries piling up, it was no surprise Nuno made eight changes from the team that began last Sunday’s draw at Bournemouth. One of those to retain their starting spot, Morgan Gibbs-White, was given the captain’s armband in the absence of the suspended Ryan Yates, and forced Max O’Leary into a fine save after shifting his feet under pressure inside the box.

Gibbs-White is a gifted player and his first touch was majestic, a nonchalant flick that culminated in Anthony Elanga, another to keep his place in the starting lineup, sending a cross in from the right that flashed across goal. Elanga later went close after shimmying upfield past three players in Bristol City’s businesslike black away strip.

When Forest scored from their second effort on goal, Origi getting the final touch after Felipe headed Gibbs-White’s corner goalwards, it seemed they could be in for a rare night of comfort. After a VAR check for handball, Origi’s goal stood, his first in more than a year, since scoring for Milan against Sassuolo in Serie A, and first on these shores since scoring for Liverpool against Everton in April 2022. Origi led the line for Forest with Chris Wood, a player rejuvenated under Nuno, set to miss about two months because of a hamstring injury and Awoniyi not risked from the start. Hudson-Odoi was also among those on the bench after being forced off at Bournemouth. Matz Seles, Rodrigo Ribeiro and Giovanni Reyna, deadline-day arrivals at Forest, were ineligible to feature.

City are thin on numbers too and Andy King, a Premier League winner with Leicester, was parachuted into the base of midfield for his first start since October and was the unlikely source of the Championship side’s equaliser. He took aim from 25 yards and his shot cracked off both posts before Sam Bell picked up the loose ball, laying it off for Knight to sweep in from close range. From there the Robins understandably grew in confidence and Anis Mehmeti forced Matt Turner to parry his effort round his left post.

Tommy Conway also tested Turner with a low shot after jinking on to his right foot inside the Forest area. Moments earlier Conway, a nippy striker with a bright future, was tracking back on the edge of City’s 18-yard box. It offered a picture of their youthful exuberance under their 38-year-old head coach Liam Manning. On the verge of half-time the 35-year-old King, the only player in the visiting XI over the age of 27, made a fantastic challenge to rake the ball from Gibbs-White.

This game took on a concerning shape for Forest, with City succeeding in making things uncomfortable for them. Mehmeti saw a shot held by Turner after a short corner. Bell, one of seven academy graduates in the visitors’ squad, scampered down the left and won a free-kick. Conway, selfless off the ball, had joy running at Felipe, the veteran defender. Until Gibbs-White freed Origi to cut the ball back 10 minutes into the second half, Forest faced a sustained spell of pressure. Nuno recognised the need for change and introduced Awoniyi and Hudson-Odoi, his side underwhelming at best. Hudson-Odoi’s first action was a devilish cross from the left which Awoniyi failed to read.

The locals grew restless. Gonzalo Montiel spooned a hopeful shot over on 79 minutes and Gibbs-White volleyed wide moments earlier. Origi also dropped a shot wide from distance after Awoniyi, a lone ranger in attack, laid the ball off. Nuno Tavares smacked an effort at O’Leary from outside the box and then Williams drove a shot wide with seven minutes of regular time to play. City kept plugging away but the chances dried up for them, too. Forest offered little to zero threat until the closing stages of the second half and for a while extra-time seemed inevitable.

For a long time extra-time seemed inevitable but once it arrived both teams had chances to win it. Neco Williams saw a shot blocked after being slipped in by Joe Gardner, the 18-year-old introduced for his Forest debut. City, however, had the best opportunities and somehow Turner smothered the ball before the substitute Nahki Wells could convert from practically on the goalline after meeting Bell’s low cross early in the second half of extra-time.

Then, a few minutes later, Wells supplied another substitute, Harry Cornick, after breezing past Felipe but Cornick could not get his effort on target. With seconds of extra time to play Awoniyi dawdled when slipped through on goal by Tavares. That ensured a nail-biting round of penalties.