Nottingham Forest came through in the FA Cup by beating Ipswich Town on penalties to set up a quarter-final clash with Brighton later this month.
George Hirst scored the game’s opening goal but Ryan Yates pegged the Tractor Boys back by heading home from an Anthony Elanga cross.
The Reds huffed and puffed after restoring parity but couldn’t find a way beyond Alex Palmer in the Forest goal and that saw penalties take centre-stage again.
Matz Sels has the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season and he was the hero once again, saving brilliantly from Jack Taylor to edge Forest home 5-4.
The save sparked wild celebrations from Nuno Espirito Santo. He was clearly delighted to get through and perhaps he’s eyeing up a decent cup run this season.
Ola Aina could hardly walk at the end of the game. He was one of many first-teamers who got the chance to play, with a sprinkling of fringe players also getting a chance for more minutes.
Taiwo Awoniyi cut a frustrated figure in attack and there was another player who didn’t get much sympathy from the fan base after his latest showing.
Nottingham Forest fans urge Nuno Espirito Santo to stop picking Danilo
It’s been a tough season for Danilo. He broke his ankle in the first game of the 2024/25 campaign and has been on a long road back to the senior ranks.
He came on against Luton in the cup, got more minutes against Exeter in the next round and also played as Forest defeated Brighton 7-0.
Last night, however, it felt like a game too far and against a hardworking Ipswich midfield, he seemed to struggle with the tempo of the game, with fans reacting on social media.
Another fan believes he’s been rushed back, saying: “Danilo still doesn’t look match fit yet! They desperately need more game time, don’t first team players play reserve games any more?”
One Forest fan summed things up in short and sweet style, saying: “Danilo off the boil for me.”
Most fans were happy not to wash their hands of Danilo just yet, with one saying: “Danilo just isn’t ready yet.”
Finally, a supporter claimed: “Our midfield as a whole is poor, Yates/Danilo and Sangare ain’t good enough as it stands.”
Danilo stats vs Ipswich
Clearly, it was good to get some more minutes into the legs of Danilo in the FA Cup but this wasn’t a vintage performance from him.
The Brazilian has a great career ahead of him and he deserves a lot of praise for the way in which he’s handled himself during his time out injured.
| Danilo stats vs Ipswich | Total |
| Minutes | 58 |
| Pass Accuracy | 53.9% |
| Touches | 28 |
| Tackles | 3 |
Every injured player has to start somewhere and Danilo has shown flashes of promise since returning, not least against Arsenal last week when he came off the bench and did well.
At 23-years-old he has his whole career ahead of him and Forest did well to snare him from Palmeiras in January 2023 for just £16 million.
There is definitely more to come from Danilo and he will hope to move on from this performance very quickly in the coming weeks.
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