+18 | Play Responsibly | T&C's Apply | Commercial Content | Publishing Principles
Wrexham vs Nottingham Forest Big Match Breakdown

Arthur Okonkwo is Wrexham's Hollywood hero! Ex-Arsenal goalkeeper saves Nottingham Forest's record signing Omari Hutchinson's spot-kick in classic FA Cup third round tie

  • Tell me more

    Igor Jesus fashioned the first chance of the FA Cup tie but his second-minute effort missed the target as Forest sought to take an early lead. And the Tricky Trees thought they'd gone ahead in the 15th minute, only for Douglas Luiz's close-range strike to be chalked off for handball.

    Sam Smith fashioned Wrexham's opening chance of the first half having been played in down the left by Nathan Broadhead, only for the 27-year-old to drag his effort wide of the far post. The Dragons, though, found the breakthrough shortly before the break as Liberato Cacace rifled into the bottom corner from 20 yards, albeit with a slight deflection off Morato.

    And the Welsh side doubled their advantage three minutes after Cacace's opener as Oliver Rathbone tucked past Mats Selz from close range. Wrexham should have gone into the break three goals to the good after Smith raced through one-on-one with Sels, who denied the striker from close range.

    A disappointing opening 45 forced Sean Dyche into a triple change for the second half as Morgan Gibbs-White, Nicolas Dominguez and Neco Williams were all introduced.

    Luiz forced Arthur Okonkwo into action on the hour mark as the Wrexham shotstopper was forced to turn the Brazilian's goal-bound free-kick over the bar for a Forest corner. The Tricky Trees huffed and puffed, and eventually broke the Wrexham resolve as Jesus' header struck the post and bounced over the line midway through the second half.

    Forest continued to push for an equaliser, yet came undone with 15 minutes to play as Dominic Hyam headed George Dobson's free-kick past Sels to restore the two-goal advantage. However, Dyche's side cut the lead back to one goal moments later as Callum Hudson-Odoi struck past Okonkwo.

    And second half super sub Hudson-Odoi broke Wrexham hearts late on as he scored his second and Forest's third with a well taken strike to take the game to extra time.

    Both teams had chances to win this third round tie, as Josh Windass, Igor Thiago and Omari Hutchinson all forged opportunities, but neither side was able to find the breakthrough as this entertaining FA Cup clash was decided on penalties.

    Ultimately, it was Okonkwo who proved to be Wrexham's spot-kick hero to deny Hutchinson from 12 yards and send the Dragons into the fourth round as they claimed a 4-3 shootout victory.

  • Advertisement
  • AFC Wrexham v Nottingham Forest - Emirates FA Cup Third RoundGetty Images Sport

    The MVP

    Sean Dyche left out a number of key players for Friday's FA Cup tie, making eight changes in total, with Callum Hudson-Odoi among those to start from the bench. The winger was introduced in the 69th minute, and turned the tie on its head, scoring shortly after replacing Dan Ndoye before bagging a late equaliser to take the tie to extra time. While Nottingham Forest crashed to a penalty shootout defeat, Hudson-Odoi was the player who gave his side a chance of progressing to the fourth round.

  • FBL-ENG-FACUP-WREXHAM-NOTTINGHAM FORESTAFP

    The big loser

    After an anonymous opening 45 minutes, James McAtee was hauled off at the break. The summer signing has struggled for minutes under Sean Dyche, yet failed to gain a foothold in the FA Cup clash with Wrexham and was withdrawn for Nicolas Dominguez for the second half. With playing time hard to come by as is, it remains to be seen how much fans will see of McAtee over the coming weeks.

  • ENJOYED THIS STORY?

    Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

  • FBL-ENG-FACUP-WREXHAM-NOTTINGHAM FORESTAFP

    Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

0