Elanga and Gibbs-White missed the chances, but Nottingham Forest man is to blame for FA Cup semi-final loss

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Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White missed crucial chances in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

After a drab first half, Anthony Elanga was brought into the frame and nearly made an immediate impact. He was played in by Callum Hudson-Odoi but squandered his chance wide. City then made it 2-0 just moments later.

But Nottingham Forest weren’t out yet. Morgan Gibbs-White had several chances, cannoning strikes of the woodwork on multiple occasions.

But whilst these two players will be spoken about for the misses, it’s someone else who ultimately needs to take the blame for the defeat.

Nuno Espirito Santo was to blame for the FA Cup loss

Sadly, Nuno Espirito Santo made some questionable decisions which ultimately led to Forest losing the semi-final.

The first 45 minutes were incredibly stale, and it was actually a bit of a waste. Manchester City were not on their A-game, and quite frankly, could’ve been there for the taking.

That said, the Forest setup wasn’t right to do so. Nuno changed his tactics – and they didn’t work. The Reds were too kind to City and weren’t their usual aggressive selves for the entire first half.

And it wasn’t just the tactics, it was also some of the players on the pitch. Fans immediately noticed not starting Elanga was a mistake – and it was.

On the biggest pitch in the country, the Swede simply had to be involved, and there was an immediate difference when he entered the frame.

The game was lost in the first 45, and it’s a real shame. No trophy for Forest this season.

Nuno reflects on Manchester City defeat

Nuno reflected on the loss after the fixture to BBC Sport. “We had good situations,” Nuno begins.

“City started really well, they caused a lot of problems and scoring with the first chance changes everything.

“The reaction was good, it was fine margins. We performed well and competed against a very good team that has talented players.

“They make it really hard to revert the result. The effort was there. The fans stayed with us until the end of the game. We gave it our all.”

Now, the focus shifts to Nuno and Forest. Champions League football is still a real possibility for Forest, a statement that would have seemed preposterous just 12 months ago.

Five games remain – can Nuno and co get the job done?