Wrexham 3-3 Nottingham Forest (Wrexham won 4-3 at Pens): Goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo was heroic as the Welsh side dominated the Premier League side in the FA Cup third round.
Wrexham beat Nottingham Forest on penalties (Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Ryan Reynolds won a huge FA Cup scalp after watching Premier League Nottingham Forest knock out his beloved Wrexham on penalties.
The Hollywood actor, alongside Rob McElhenny, turned the North East Wales team into one of the most famous EFL sides on the planet. Forest were the Red Dragons’ first Premier League opponents since the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ series changed the club forever.
Sean Dyche’s side, who made eight changes from their 2-1 win over West Ham, were given nothing but a warm welcome. Douglas Lewis, one of Dyche’s substitutes, thought he had given Forest the lead with a volley under Wrexham shot-stopper Arthur Okonkwo, but it was disallowed as the ball hit the summer signing’s arm before he could do so.
Without VAR, referee Paul Tierney was unable to even look back at the goal, despite a huge protest from the Juventus loanee.
read more: Chelsea star has been labeled a ‘repeat offender’ after his 10th driving offence.read more: Ole Gunnar Solskjær faces face-off talks for Manchester United’s caretaker job after two players are ruled out
Omari Hutchinson, who was signed in the same summer, then lost the ball to Wrexham’s George Dobson, who pushed the ball to Liberato Cacace, allowing the New Zealand international to score into the bottom corner from 20 yards out.
Before the cheers had died down at the racecourse ground, Oliver Rathbone doubled the lead as he received a short pass from Nathan Broadhead, cut inside Morato and slotted home through the hands of Mats Sells.
However, Forest’s captain on the night kept his side in contention until just before half-time with a superb stop from Sam Smith, who would have scored had they been playing one-on-one.
Ryan Reynolds was there to watch his team win (Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Dyche brought on Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams and Nicolas Dominguez at half-time and Forest quickly improved and halved the lead with a powerful header from Igor Jesus. However, the Championship side regained a two-goal lead with captain Dominic Higham scoring again with a header from a set-piece.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, brought on minutes before Wrexham’s third goal, immediately dragged Forest into the game and scored his first smart goal. Wrexham looked set to deliver an FA Cup shock in the Reynolds-McElhenny era, but a fine half-volley from Hudson-Odoi in the 91st minute sent the game into extra time.
Arthur Okonkwo scores a penalty against Wrexham (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
In extra time, Dan Scarr had a free header at the back post, but the corner was slightly too high for him to hit the back post.
Things looked ominous for Wrexham when James McLean missed a penalty, but Okonkwo, after a save from Jesus, guessed correctly and beat Hutchinson’s spot-kick, sending the Racecourse ground into chaos.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
