With the home side realizing the quarter-final opportunity with a hard-fought penalty shootout, Nottingham Forest felt the elation after squeezing past Ipswich Town in a gut-wrenching FA Cup fifth-round contest at the City Ground. At the end of extra time, the game stood at 1-1, but Forest carried the day on penalties by 5-4. We have to know Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town Match Player Rating in this article .
Both teams had started cautiously in view of the prize. Nottingham would want to utilize the home advantage for as far as they go in the competition, while Ipswich City had to stand up and be counted to get that little further. The first serious attempt on goal came from the edge of the box, when R. Yates looked for early chances. His vision and passing opened up the pitch even though he could not find the corner at the end. The visitors had not come to hand the tie to Forest, even though they were doing precisely that, and counter-attacked, with Nathan Broadhead’s quick speed rattling the back-line. This won him a free kick in the attacking line.
In the 53rd minute, the deadlock was finally broken when the Ipswich Town forward George Hirst found the net. He used his strength and heading skill to mop up leaving M.Sels with no chance, the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper. The goal therefore gave Ipswich the lead, while Hirst’s continued fine form also extended into domestic competitions.
In the 68th minute, Nottingham Forest react to this goal with great resilience. Ryan Yates converts a well worked set piece situation for a header from the centre of the box to the center of the goal. Assisted by Anthony Elanga. R. Ystes directed it beyond Forest’s keeper, Matz Sels. With the goal, the heat of the competition is back on for a tense finish.
The game went into extra time because it ended in a tie after normal time, and each side was dealing with tired limbs, which set the pace for a much more cautious game. For Nottingham Forest, fresh legs came in by Anthony Elanga going out and Jota Silva entering for more pace in their attack. Ipswich are at the same time strengthening their midfield to try to cut out Forest’s rhythm.
The end of the 90 minutes had the two teams at a standoff with decider goals being absent, forcing the match to go to penalties. Chris Wood was the initiator of Forest’s penalties with his very first penalty, setting the mood for the home team. Sam Morsy, Ipswich’s first one to take up a kick, perfectly emulated this act and kept the contest tied.
That moment passed when J. Taylor took a penalty for Ipswich that turned out to be saved by Matz Sels, diving very sharply to his right. Having converted every other kick from the penalty spot, they sealed up the victory in this one.
Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town Match Player Rating
Match Rating score Provided By Sofascore
| Matz Sels (7/10) | Alex Palmer (7.3/10) |
| Ola Aina (7.7/10) | Callum Townsend (7.5/10) |
| While Murillo (7/10) | Cameron Burgess (6.7/10 |
| Morato (6.4/10) | Luke Woolfenden (7.5/10) |
| Moreno (6.2/10) | Axel Tuanzebe (6.8/10) |
| Ryan Yates (7.9/10) | Massimo Lounge (6.8/10) |
| Sangare (7.0/10) | Sam Morsy (7.7/10) |
| Danilo (6.8/10 | Jack Taylor (6.5/10) |
| A. Elanga (8.6/10) | Nathan Broadhead (6.7/10) |
| Taiwo Awoniyi (6.7/10) | Johnson (7.7/10) |
| Odoi (7.9/10) | George Hirst (7.4/10 |
Nottingham forest players ratings
The Nottingham Forest players were solid in their efforts against Ipswich, with some playing particularly well and others having a tougher time.
Goalkeeper:
Matz Sels (7/10) was fairly solid behind the post and proved his merit with some valuable shot-stopping, particularly in the penalty shootout. His composure helped Forest secure the win.
Defenders:
Ola Aina (7.7/10) has impressed with his defence and when required push-forward.
While Murillo (7/10) stood his ground,
Morato (6.4/10) had some jittery moments in the back.
Definitely not his best showing as A. Moreno could only manage 6.2/10 when sometimes he lacked in his defence.
Midfielders:
Ryan Yates (7.9/10) was the engine in breaking up play and keeping the team ticking. Sangare (7.0/10) managed to have a reasonable game, won that midfield battle but did not do much else.
He was at the fore of brilliant opportunities and break-ins and produced a lot of chances for teammates, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Danilo (6.8/10) had some nice moments but wasn’t much of a difference-maker.
Anthony Elanga was the best of those today, scoring an 8.6/10 with his pace and talent.
forwards:
Taiwo Awoniyi (6.7/10) did his best but did not get much service. It was generally a quiet night for him.
Substitute Players
Elliott Anderson (7.1/10) came on and provided energy.
Morgan Gibbs-White (7.7/10) took the game away with courage and creativity.
Neco Williams (7.0/10) defended well.
Chris Wood (6.9/10) was a good activity but lacked sharpness. Jota Silva (6.6/10) added little.
Forest held their ground, though Elanga and Yates were the true stars of the hour.
Ipswich Town Player Ratings
Ipswich Town gave a good fight to Nottingham Forest, with some players shining while others had a difficult night.
Goalkeeper:
Alex Palmer (7.3/10) had a fair game where he was important in keeping Ipswich in the contest with saves; he could not do much, though, in the penalty shootout.
Defenders:
Callum Townsend (7.5/10) was solid in defense and contributed well in the attack.
Cameron Burgess (6.7/10) got caught out a bit, in particular against the Forest attackers’ pace.
Luke Woolfenden (7.5/10) defended well and knew how to be composure when it was settled.
Axel Tuanzebe (6.8/10) had good moments but did not perform his best.
Midfielders:
Massimo Lounge (6.8/10) toiled hard but did not create much.
Sam Morsy (7.7/10) was one of Ipswich’s good players, dominating the midfield and winning key duels.
Jack Taylor (6.5/10) was quiet today and did not influence the game.
Nathan Broadhead (6.7/10) scored an equalizer, but other than that, he was not really present. Brennan Johnson (7.7/10) was active and tried to create.
Forward:
He worked hard, held up defenders, and linked play well, becoming one of the attacking players, but George Hirst (7.4/10) had too few clear chances to matter much for Ipswich.
Substitute Players
Come on Dara O’Shea (7.1/10) and Jacob Greaves (7.1/10) and add stability to defense.
Jens Cajuste (6.8/10) worked hard, but he did not influence the game.
Jack Clarke (6.8/10) had nice touches here and there-not much more.
Liam Delap worked hard up top for his team (7.0/10). Not much chance, though.
Ipswich, overall, battled hard; Morsy and Johnson were the standout performers, yet they were let down by the pen. Nottingham Forest advances to the quarters to face Brighton.
Thus, it will not only uplift the morale of this team but also provide possibly a fine pathway to silverware, bringing back memories of the glorious times of the club.
That leaves Ipswich Town to swallow the narrow defeat a bit bitter. But with good sportsmanship, they created quite an impressive tournament.
Nottingham Forest really worked hard to keep their cool in the penalty shootout so that they could really be agents of making magic in the deepest depths of this year’s competition. That effort put in by Ipswich Town speaks very loudly of really how much talent and excitement there is in both lower tiers of English football.
As this FA Cup progresses, fans will undoubtedly look forward to even more exciting matches, and Nottingham Forest’s next fixture against Brighton will be another thrilling episode in this great competition.
These all Match Rating data provided by Sofascore.
