Arms aloft, Ryan Yates stood in front of the away end and soaked up every moment as he conducted Nottingham Forest fans in a rendition of “Que Sera, Sera”.
Minutes earlier the Nigel Doughty Academy graduate had let out a big exhale of breath before coolly thumping the ball past Bart Verbruggen. The last man standing from the Reds’ last visit to Wembley three years ago had just sent them back there with the winning penalty in their FA Cup quarter-final shootout against Brighton and Hove Albion.
No sooner had the ball nestled in the back of the net, Yates was away. He sprinted the full length of the pitch, pumping his fists and letting out a great roar as he went, until he came to a stop with a knee slide in front of the Forest supporters.
This season has been jam-packed with special, utterly incredible moments for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. That one was right up there with the best of them. For Yates to be the orchestrator of his team’s destiny on the south coast tugged at the heartstrings.
The midfielder and Matz Sels were the last ones to leave the pitch by the end. The celebrations had continued long into the night - and were it not for the long journey home that awaited the travelling contingent, they might have gone on even longer. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the big talking points from Saturday’s triumph over the Seagulls.
Shootout specialists
The Reds’ FA Cup campaign this year started with a fairly routine 2-0 victory over Luton Town. Yates opened the scoring that day to set his side on their way.
Rounds four and five (against Exeter City and Ipswich Town) then required spot-kicks to secure safe passage. When the last-eight tie at the Amex Stadium finished 0-0 after extra-time, it meant another test from 12 yards for Nuno’s men - and for the nerves of those watching on.
Coming through it 4-3 made Forest the first team ever to win three penalty shootouts in a single season in the FA Cup. In doing so, the Reds matched the achievement of FAR Rabat in triumphing on penalties in three consecutive rounds of the same competition. The Moroccan army outfit subsequently went on to win the Coupe du Trone in 2007.
What is Forest’s success from the spot down to? There was no Chris Wood this time and Morgan Gibbs-White had gone off by that point, so some different penalty takers had to come in.
Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi dispatched theirs, as did Nikola Milenkovic after a miss from Neco Williams. Sels set up Yates’ big moment with massive saves from Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez.
Asked afterwards how much of it was down to luck and how much was down to good goalkeeping, Nuno quickly replied: "And also good shooting. Penalties are a lot of practice and credit to the players to keep their focus and determination. And it is also fantastic goalkeeping.”
Three years ago, Brice Samba famously had notes stuck to his water bottle as Forest beat Sheffield United on penalties to book a trip to Wembley for the Championship play-offs final. Sels was equally well prepared, thanks to goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa.
Nuno leaves the goalkeeping preparation entirely in Barbosa’s hands, despite being a former stopper himself. And what of his own record at penalties? "Ah, not so good,” the Portuguese quipped.
Selection decisions
Throughout Forest’s FA Cup run, Nuno has used the matches as opportunities to “reward” - as he calls it - some players who have been struggling for minutes with game time. Against Brighton - as was the case in the previous round against Ipswich - he named a fairly strong XI, though.
Not that Nuno’s line-up was enough for Wayne Rooney, who was on pundit duty for the BBC. Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga being on the bench provoked the wrath of the former striker.
“I am shocked,” Rooney said when the team news was announced. “The FA Cup is such a prestige tournament and to rest players in a quarter-final...
“If I was a fan, I would be fuming. You want to win silverware and this is a great opportunity.”
That’s right, Wayne, Forest fans are certainly fuming with being in the semi-finals and going to Wembley. Perhaps the ex-Derby County boss was unfamiliar with Nuno’s work this season.
In fairness, Rooney did row back on his comments somewhat by the end of the evening, saying Nuno deserved credit for his team’s win. Just a bit!
The visitors were compact for an hour as Yates, Anderson, Nicolas Dominguez and Danilo all worked their socks off in the middle of the pitch. Elanga and Hudson-Odoi, followed later by Jota Silva, added a different dimension when they came on. And although there was no breakthrough in terms of goals, the Reds were excellent for much of the match.
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Wood’s absence
Nuno admitted afterwards that the news on injured striker Wood is “not good” after the New Zealander sustained a hip injury while on duty for New Zealand earlier in the week. The striker will be assessed “day by day”, with a question mark over whether he will be available for Tuesday’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Being without him for any length of time would be a huge blow for the Reds. But Taiwo Awoniyi showed he can do a job as he put in a very solid display at the Amex.
The Nigerian forced a save early on, held the ball up well throughout and generally proved to be a nuisance for Brighton to deal with. He was taken off on the hour, perhaps with midweek (and maybe beyond) in mind and no doubt due to his shortage of minutes in recent months.
Awoniyi has done it before in the Garibaldi. If Forest need him to step up again, Saturday was a fine platform to build upon.
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Wembley bound
Gibbs-White had been a bundle of nervous energy as he watched the shootout on the touchline. He was taking deep breaths as Yates stepped up, but as soon as the ball went in the attacker set off to join his teammate.
"It was a unique emotion,” Milenkovic told the BBC of watching Yates score. “We are very happy that we could go over to our fans and spend time with them and we are so happy to go to Wembley with them.”
Bookings for Yates and Williams on the night mean both will be suspended for the game in the capital, having picked up their second cautions in the competition. “It is what it is,” Yates said afterwards. It was the one negative on an otherwise unforgettable night.
The south coast night was filled with chants of “we’re going to Wembley” as Forest supporters marked reaching the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 1991. Nuno blew kisses to the crowd, Alex Moreno led the entire team in victory fist-pumps and Ola Aina danced down the touchline with a stray smoke bomb. A moment to drink in and savour as the Reds added another chapter to their already incredible campaign.
With every passing week, this team grows in stature. In many ways, Forest fans will hope this season never ends. Perhaps the most remarkable of endings is yet to be written, though. Wembley awaits.
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