Nottingham Forest are gearing up for a mouth-watering FA Cup semi-final tie against Manchester City.
The City Ground outfit have two FA Cups to their name already, and will no doubt be hoping to make that three this season.
With Premier League giants Man City standing in the way of a historic final, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men can look back at Forest’s 1991 side for some much-needed cup inspiration.
Nottingham Forest dominated West Ham in FA Cup semi-final
Despite eventually losing out in the FA Cup final to Spurs, Forest’s current squad can take a lot of pride from the 1991 side’s run to Wembley.
Having beaten the likes of Crystal Palace and Newcastle United, Brian Clough’s side were matched up against West Ham in the semi-final.
The Hammers were in the second division at the time, but still had a number of talented stars at their disposal, including the likes of Chris Houghton and Iain Dowie.
West Ham’s chances, however, would be dealt an early blow in the game after Tony Gale was sent off after just twenty minutes, in what was the first ever red card received for a so-called ‘professional foul’.
Forest would take charge with the man advantage eventually running out comfortable 4-0 winners at Villa Park, thanks to goals from Gary Crosby, Roy Keane, Stuart Pearce and Gary Charles.
Brian Clough suffered FA Cup heartbreak in the final
Despite winning multiple European Cups and League Cups, there was always one trophy that eluded Forest boss Clough – namely, the FA Cup.
Clough was nearing the end of his time at Forest in 1991 and would have seen the final against Spurs as one of the last opportunities to claim that elusive FA Cup crown.
Forest would even make the perfect start in the final, with legendary full-back Pearce slamming home a free-kick after just 16 minutes.
Clough’s side, however, wouldn’t be able to get the job done at Wembley with Tottenham’s Mark Crossley sending the game to extra time, before Forest legend Des Walker headed the ball into his own net to seal the cup for Terry Venables’ Spurs.
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