Summary
As soon as the teams were announced, one felt Arsenal could come undone here, and so it proved – Arsene Wenger’s first ever third-round defeat. Forest are fully deserving of their win, even if they did have a slice of luck with that last Dowell penalty.
Arsenal centre-backs looked Sunday League today. Arsenal had their second string out, but there was over 600 Premier League appearances between the XI that Wenger started with, this was not an inexperienced side. They were booed off by their own fans. I suspect that is the last time we see Walcott in an Arsenal shirt.
I wonder what Wenger thinks of those referee decisions. Remarkable that he didn’t have senior, game-changing players on the bench. It’s one thing resting players, it’s quite another leaving yourself up a creek without a paddle in reserve.
Forest were immense. Ben Brereton, man of the match, ran Mertesacker and Holding ragged. Smith had an excellent day in goal, the Welbeck clanger aside, saving twice from Nketiah. Cash and Osborn never gave Elneny and Willock a second of time to settle in midfield. Dowell showed glimpses of some frightening talent, the boy has one magical left foot. Forest saw out the game with great maturity, despite being down to 10 men.
Lichaj, another man-of-the-match contendor, was brilliant, scoring twice – including a goal for the ages, looping one into the top corner just before half time. But he was also solid at the back, organising his younger counter-parts well. “My wife said she would let me have a dog if I scored a hat-trick this year”, says Lichaj in his post-match interview. “But Kieran [Dowell] wouldn’t let me have the last penalty. He told me to go away.”
Thanks for reading. See you next time. Bye!
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Full-time: Nottingham Forest 4-2 Arsenal
The holders of the FA Cup are out!
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90+3 min: This has been some game, but the 10 men of Forest look as though they’ve done enough here. The young team are seeing the game out well here. Matt Mills replaces Kieran Dowell and Barrie McKay comes on for Matty Cash.
90+2 min: Nketiah is put clean through on goal … saved by Smith! He’s redeemed himself there after the clanger for Welbeck’s goal. Nketiah tries the dink, but Smith races out to meet him, gets a finger on the chip, the ball rolling agonisingly wide before Walcott has a chance to tap into an empty net!
90 min: Four minutes added on for Arsenal to find two goals!
Red card for Forest's Worrall!
89 min: The young defender is given a second yellow card for a sliding tackle on Welbeck. It’s probably the right decision. He had only picked up the first yellow card 45 seconds earlier.
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87 min: It’s almost impossible to tell if Dowell touched it twice – if he did, the penalty wouldn’t stand and Arsenal would have a free kick. Personally I do think he did touch it twice! Forest have definitely had the rub of the green there.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 4-2 Arsenal (Dowell pen 85)
Dowell slips as he takes it, the ball spoons up into the air and it goes into the roof of the net! Arsenal are appealing that Dowell touched the ball twice – shooting into his standing leg that slipped from under him – but Moss awards the goal after checking with the linesman!
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Penalty for Nottingham Forest! Their second of the game!
84 min: Traore skips past both Debuchy and Mertesacker, he’s clean through … chopped down by Debuchy in the box! But wait, replays show Debuchy won the ball! It was a good challenge! Yellow card for Debuchy, he should be shown red if Jon Moss thinks it is a foul! Ospina also shown a yellow card for dissent!
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81 min: Cash is back on his feet, he’s OK.
80 min: Ten minutes left! A break in play as Cash goes down with a head injury. He took a shoulder in the face from an Iwobi challenge. The camera cuts to Wenger, who is furious that somebody is hurt.
3-2 Iwobi plays a slide-rule pass through to Welbeck, Smith is favourite to win it as he comes out of goal, but he fails to gather it, and Welbeck sidefoots the loose ball into an empty net. Smith is furious with himself!
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 3-2 Arsenal (Welbeck 79)
Out of nothing, Arsenal are back in this! Clanger from the goalkeeper Smith.
77 min: Walcott finds some room down the right and fires a low cross but it’s too weak and Mancienne is able to slide back and tackle it clear. Another poor cross!
75 min: If anything, Nottingham Forest look the more likely to score. Before the third goal, they had 30% possession, but the City Ground are now cheering every pass as Vaughan, Osborn and Cash stroke it about the pitch.
73 min: Brilliant from Dowell! He nutmegs Mertesacker on the edge of Arsenal’s area, drives to the byline and his cut back nearly reaches Walker, only for Debuchy to stick out a boot.
72 min: Brereton is bullying Holding and Mertesacker again. Eighteen!
70 min: Chance for Nkaetiah! He turns sharply in the box and fires a low shot at goal, but Smith closes the angle extremely well, advancing out of goal like an octopus, and gets a knee on the ball to turn it away. Big chance, big save.
68 min: Holding has had a nightmare day. Brereton has given him the runaround, getting in behind and winning free-kicks to alleviate the pressure in this second half. To top it off, Holding passes the ball out of play, when trying to find Maitland-Niles. He’s lost his head.
66 min: Arsenal make an immediate change: Nketiah, the hero of the Caraboa Cup for Arsenal earlier this season, is on for Willock.
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GOAL! Nottingham Forest 3-1 Arsenal (Brereton pen 64)
Brereton – 18 years old! – wrestles the ball out of Dowell’s hands, confidently puts the ball on the spot and sends Ospina the wrong way! Forest lead by two!
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Penalty for Forest!
63 min: Holding is caught on his heels, Cash nips in to steal the ball and he is ceremoniously brought down by the former Bolton defender!
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61 min: Chance for Brereton! Walker gets some room on the left – Debuchy is jogging! – he crosses to the near post and Brereton meets it. Deflected behind, the ball just going wide of Ospina’s right post!
59 min: Free-kick to Arsenal, Walcott again over the ball, but it’s straight into the arms of Smith. Walcott’s hair is strangely tall today. Giroud-esque.
57 min: Nelson goes down in the area, but it’s a fantastic tackle from Lichaj. He got all of the ball.
53 min: Maitland-Niles sends Lichaj for a hot dog, dumping the Forest goalscorer on his arse, but with plenty of time to cross from the byline, overhits the cross. Another poor delivery after some good play.
50 min: Arsenal putting the squeeze on here. They’ve come out with a real sense of purpose.
47 min: A poor cross from Debuchy is caught by Smith. Apart from the free-kick from Walcott, Arsenal’s deliveries from wide areas has been shocking.
Half-time reading:
That Lichaj goal is a poor-man’s Joe Cole. Not as far out as the England man, but had similar shape on the shot.
Half-time: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Arsenal
The City Ground erupts as Jon Moss blows for half time. You can’t say that Forest don’t deserve that lead. Arsenal’s back four look like they are skating on ice.
2-1 Cash gets a cross in from the right, it’s headed clear but only as far as Lichaj on the edge of the area. The ball doesn’t touch the floor, as the right back takes one touch on his chest and volleys the ball into the top corner, a looping effort that left Ospina motionless! Postage-stamp stuff. Wow! Forest lead!
Noooooo Eric Lichaj you can't do that 😱
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 7, 2018
He puts Nottingham Forest back in front with a stunning volley!
What a goal 👏 pic.twitter.com/rnuylDNAtQ
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GOAL! Nottingham Forest 2-1 Arsenal (Lichaj 44)
Lichaj again! WHAT. A. GOAL.
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42 min: Ospina looks like he’s got a problem here. The glove is off and he’s grimacing. Looks like a finger that causing him discomfort, but he’ll carry on.
40 min: Once more, Brereton goes clean through on goal, the third time this half! Brereton tries to get the ball back onto his stronger right foot, Holding is able to get back, and Brereton aims a weak shot straight at Ospina. It’s another golden chance wasted. Arsenal’s line is so high! Why would you defend like that with Mertesacker in the team?!
38 min: Walcott has looked lively. He dribbles past two Forest players inside the box and cuts the ball back to Iwobi, but Lichaj does well to read the pass and makes the interception. The Forest right back has had a fine half.
35 min: Mertesacker may have scored Arsenal’s goal, but he looks like he is running in syrup. He’s always been slow, but this is ridiculous. Forest are obviously targeting him.
✅ First @EmiratesFACup goal since the 2015 final#NFFCvAFC pic.twitter.com/Elru11FZTv
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 7, 2018
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33 min: Chance for Brereton … great save Ospina! Holding gives a loose pass and Arsenal are caught on the counter-attack, suddenly Brereton has just one to beat. He cuts brilliantly inside on his left, leaving Mertesacker for dead but his powerful shot is well palmed away. Ospina got a good hand to that.
31 min: The ball breaks kindly to Iwobi on the edge of the area, and the Arsenal forward spoons it 20 yards over the bar. Lovely player Iwobi, sometimes he dribbles as though he has the ball on a string, but he can’t shoot for toffee.
28 min: David Vaughan, the veteran Welsh midfielder, looks off the pace. Iwobi, Nelson and Willock running rings round him.
26 min: Arsenal are reborn, and they now look in the mood. Nelson is looking sharp – that dive for the free-kick aside – especially with Maitland-Niles down Arsenal’s left.
1-1 Forest’s lead lasts three minutes! Arsenal win a very debatable free-kick on the left of Forest’s box – Nelson appeared to dive after a neat nut-meg on Vaughan – and Walcott delivers a brilliant cross to the back post. Holding nods it against the far post, the ball bounces out into a crowd of players and Mertesacker stabs home from six-yards out.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-1 Arsenal (Mertesacker 23)
Arsenal hit straight back!
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1-0 This is a very clever piece of play from Lichaj, to give Forest the lead! From a free-kick on Arsenal’s byline, Dowell curls a pacy cross to Ospina’s near post and Lichaj is completely unmarked to head past the Arsenal keeper. Arsenal were claiming offside but Lichaj lined himself up perfectly with Arsenal wall from the free-kick, which was very deep.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Arsenal (Lichaj 20)
From the free-kick, Lichaj heads in!
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18 min: Debuchy is caught woefully out of position and Clough has a free run at Mertesacker on Forest’s left. He cuts inside nicely, Mersesacker gets a good block on the shot, but the ball falls to Cash, who laces one towards the bottom corner. Brilliant save from Ospina! The Colombian does fantastically well to tip Cash’s shot wide: just enough to turn it round the post, but not too much that Brereton couldn’t tap the rebound in.
15 min: Both sets of supporters are in good voice.
“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that”, cry the Forest fans.
“Champions of Europe, you weren’t even born” reply the Arsenal lot.
13 min: Arsenal get it wide to Walcott on the right, he crosses for Welbeck but the England international only gets his shoulder to the ball, and the ball trickles wide.
11 min: Forest have their first bit of sustained pressure inside Arsenal’s half, and win their first corner. It will be Kieran Dowell, the youngster on loan from Everton and Forest top scorer this season, who will take it. Poor, doesn’t beat the first man on the near post.
9 min: Nice to see Pat Rice at the back there, alongside David O’Leary.
Digging the Jens Lehmann superspy look pic.twitter.com/K2dBHGbyJ3
— arseblog (@arseblog) January 7, 2018
7 min: A lovely flick from Welbeck carves a gaping hole in the middle of Forest’s defence. A nice ball from Iwobi gives Walcott a clear shot on goal, but the 28-year-old scuffs his shot completely and Smith gathers easily. Good chance wasted.
5 min: Arsenal very lucky to get an offside call, with England U-19 international Brereton put clean through for a one-on-one with Ospina. It was tight, but replays show he was on.
4 min: Forest are pressing Arsenal’s back four extremely high. Mertesacker and Nelson, calm as you like, break the press with some neat passing.
2 min: Looks like Arsenal have lined up in a 3-4-2-1, with Welbeck leading the line in front of Iwobi and Walcott.
The insufferable Robbie Savage – former Derby player – in on commentary for BT Sport. Why?
Peeeeeeeeeep! And we’re off.
The teams are out. Forest in their home red, Arsenal in their changed kit of blue.
Can’t say I’ve seen much of 18-year-old Joe Willock, who starts in central midfield for Arsenal today. Where is Coquelin?
I wasn’t sure about this personally, but Wenger has confirmed he is allowed to talk to the team in the dressing room beforehand and at half-time, despite his touchline ban.
It’s not just because I’m giving this the hard sell, but I genuinely think this is going to be a great game. Young, exciting, largely-homegrown Forest team backed by a sellout crowd v young, partly-exciting, partly-homegrown Arsenal team.
Arsenal have 8 academy graduates in their squad - 4 starters and 4 subs:
— Scouted Football (@ScoutedFtbl) January 7, 2018
1996 • Alex Iwobi
1997 • Ainsley Maitland-Niles
1999 • Joe Willock
1999 • Reiss Nelson
1995 • Chuba Akpom
1998 • Josh Da Silva
1998 • Jordi Osei-Tutu
1999 • Eddie Nketiah
Hale End boys. 🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/R6lEFBV2BX
These two did meet in the EFL Cup last season at the City Ground. Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 win.
Big day for Theo Walcott, who starts up front today alongside Danny Welbeck. He hasn’t made a single league start this season, and has been linked with a January move to former club Southampton, which would be an excellent fit in my opinion. Shop window, etc.
Meanwhile, time must be running out for Chuba Akpom, who played for Forest on loan in 2015. He’s 22 now, has played 20 minutes of football all season. Surely he’s got to leave the Emirates.
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It’s a wonderful sunny day in Nottingham. It’s a sell-out at the City ground.
The teams are out for the warm-up.
Gary has been the academy manager at Forest since 2012, and has been instrumental in bringing through a lot of excellent players, including goalkeeper Jordan Smith and Joe Worrall, who both start today.
There are a lot of young players in the Forest side, seven of the 11 today are 23 years and under.
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Forest’s caretaker manager Gary Brazil, no relation to Alan, is father to Ellie, a striker at Fiorentina. Read Rich Laverty’s piece from last month.
There are two other FA Cup ties going on at the moment. AFC Wimbledon have had about three touches (goal kicks) but are still holding Spurs to 0-0, despite Harry Kane being on the field.
West Ham, meanwhile, are doing their best to botch it against League One flyers Shrewsbury. It’s 0-0, you can follow it here with Nick Ames, who is wearing a fetching knitted jumper to my left.
Never forget … when Forest hosted Arsenal in 1999.
Armand Traoré plays against his former club, it’s good to see Ben Osborn playing in his normal position in midfield, and watch out for Zac Clough - he had a very underwhelming 2017 since his move from Bolton and has been out of favour recently, but the boy has magic in his feet and gets his chance here. It’s just a case of whether Forest can actually keep the ball and get it to him. Matty Cash is also an excellent prospect, another one that hasn’t played much of late but was the subject of a £6m bid from RB Leipzig this time last year.
Sweeping changes then for Arsenal. Rob Holding and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are the only two players here that started against Chelsea on Wednesday. Most players from that game haven’t even travelled.
The teams
Nottingham Forest: Smith, Lichaj, Worrall, Mancienne, Traore, Osborn, Vaughan, Brereton, Dowell, Cash, Clough.
Subs: Mills, McKay, Henderson, Bouchalakis, Walker, Cummings, Vellios.
Arsenal: Ospina, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Holding, Nelson, Willock, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Walcott, Iwobi, Welbeck.
Subs: Chambers, Reine-Adelaide, Akpom, Da Silva, Macey, Nketiah, Osei-Tutu.
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire)
Preamble
Neither Forest or Arsenal will have a permanent manager in their dugouts today. Caretaker Gary Brazil has taken charge of the home side, following the sacking of Mark Warburton on New Year’s Eve, and promptly earned an impressive 0-0 draw away at Leeds United a day later.
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, has been given a three-match touchline ban and fined £40,000 for his verbal abuse of Mike Dean. He will watch on from the stands today, as well as the Caraboa Cup semi-final with Chelsea on Wednesday and next weekend’s meeting with Bournemouth.
Wenger has said that he will rotate his squad for this fixture, but success in recent years in this competition has shown how seriously he takes the FA Cup. With the league title already out of reach, the importance of Arsenal’s cup performances are amplified.
Since his appointment in 1996, Wenger has never lost an FA Cup tie at this stage. We’ve already seen one upset today and for some reason, despite Forest’s recent troubles, this stinks to high heaven like the day Wenger comes undone in the third-round
Kick-off: 4pm GMT.
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