Nottingham Forest travel to Brighton in the FA Cup quarter-final in a bid to book a date at Wembley for the first time since the 2022 Championship play-off final.
Forest beat Ipswich Town on Monday evening on penalties in the FA Cup fifth round, with Lucy Ward hailing Murillo’s display in what was otherwise a showcase of more of the fringe players of the Forest squad.
Clearly, though, Matz Sels was the hero against Ipswich after saving the decisive penalties, sending the City Ground into raptures with the prospect of a Wembley trip potentially just 90 minutes away.
Nuno Espirito Santo sprinted onto the pitch in celebration against Ipswich, which highlighted just how much an FA Cup run means to the Reds, even as a backup to the European football push in the league, as a cup triumph would also qualify Forest for continental football.
With this in mind, focus is firmly on the quarter-final clash with Brighton, with Forest fans delighted to see the news of the fixture information that the FA have announced.
Nottingham Forest fans react positively to Brighton FA Cup fixture information
Chris Sutton thought Forest’s Tuesday trip to Exeter was unfair in the fourth round of the cup, with the fifth round Monday night tie against Ipswich not much better for travelling fans in particular.
Thankfully, then, it has been announced that Forest will travel to the South Coast to face Brighton on Saturday the 29th of March for a 5:15 pm kickoff. This news clearly pleased Reds fans, who took to social media to voice their pleasure.
One Forest fan said: “Best outcome to be fair,” while another added: “I have nothing to complain about with the Brighton date.”
Another Reds fan said: “Pleasantly surprised this is on a Saturday,” with one adding: “Happy with that kick-off time.”
A different Forest fan said: “Weekend on the South Coast, no problem.” One fan kept it very simple, saying: “Perfect.”
With it being Brighton in the quarter final, it’s hard not to hark back to the 7-0 thrashing of The Seagulls in February, with one particular aspect of that meeting obviously available to be exploited once more.
Nottingham Forest can exploit Anthony Elanga’s talent once more against Brighton
Chris Wood scored a hattrick in that remarkable February encounter, but Stuart Pearce waxed lyrical of Anthony Elanga against Brighton after his three assists in the game.
Manchester United fans were furious watching Elanga as not a single winger at Old Trafford is getting close to recreating such creative feats, something that Nuno Espirito Santo will be hoping to replicate in the FA Cup quarter-final.
| Statistic | Anthony Elanga vs Brighton |
| Assists | 3 |
| Chances created | 3 |
| Passes into final third | 6 |
| Touches in opposition box | 5 |
| Successful dribbles | 2 |
It’s no wonder that Elanga created so much in the game, given his six passes into the final third, highlighting that the Swedish winger was actively attempting to create at every opportunity, even when the scoreline became comfortable.
Having five touches in the opposition box was also a crucial factor at the City Ground in February, moving Elanga closer to Wood in the attack to overwhelm the Brighton defence to the point that they couldn’t respond.
The Forest fans are clearly delighted about the fixture information side of the quarter final, but no doubt their excitement will quickly switch to the potential for another Elanga show on the 29th of March.
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