Wrexham player ratings following a successful FA Cup upset vs Nottingham Forest on penalties at the Racecourse.
Wrexham fans are on cloud nine since last night’s FA Cup win on penalties. Even after finding the back of the Nottingham Forest net thrice, the Reds held their nerves quite well in the shootout.
Prior to yesterday, Forest and their recent FA Cup ties were an unbeatable match. Since regaining their Premier League tag in 2022, Nottingham Forest went 4/4 wins through penalties in the same competition.
It’s fair to argue that Forest were penalty shootouts kings in recent years, but Arthur Okonkwo stepped up big time for both Wrexham and the home fans. The five penalty takers also deserve their fair share of flowers for complementing Okonkwo’s reflexes from the other end.
Wrexham added Nottingham Forest upset to FA Cup tale
Overall, Wrexham weren’t a better bunch of individuals battling against Nottingham Forest but efforts from all over the pitch helped book an FA Cup progress. A few days ago, the Reds cherished the 7th Jan date for their FA Cup memories and now, there is a 9th Jan also worth remembering from next year on.
Hence, let’s dive into the player ratings of every Wrexham starter on a scale of 10 who added this new Nottingham Forest chapter to the club’s FA Cup tale.
Wrexham player ratings following FA Cup upset vs Nottingham Forest
GK: Arthur Okonkwo – 9
Made a sensational fingertip save on Douglas Luiz’s free-kick and very nearly denied the first Forest goal. Despite McClean’s penalty miss, Okonkwo kept his cool and saved Igor Jesus as well as Omari Hutchinson’s attempts.
CB: Dan Scarr – 7
Scarr wasn’t at fault entirely, but could’ve done better to mark Callum Hudson-Odoi on the third goal. The game was fairly in Wrexham’s control for a while, but leaving the Forest winger unmarked made for a nervous watch.
CB: Dominic Hyam – 8
Scored a power header to restore Wrexham’s 2 goal cushion and came up well against Igor Jesus. The second Forest goal was utter lack of communication from the Reds backline, and Hyam must ensure the same mistake doesn’t happen in the future.
CB: Callum Doyle – 8
Two days ago, there was a laughable rumour about Manchester City recalling Callum Doyle into their ranks for £30m. Against Forest, Doyle actually played like an elite Premier League centre-back.
Operated mostly as a left back allowing Liberato Cacace more space in the final third, and his passing was precisely pinpoint on the FA Cup occasion.
LWB: Liberato Cacace – 8
Despite being left-footed and a fullback by trade, Cacace unleashed a sublime bottom corner strike that left Nottingham Forest stunned. With the next fixture exactly 7 days away, Cacace will be expected to build on this superb showing from now on.
CM: George Dobson – 9
Swung in a curling assist for Dominic Hyam to head home for the third goal. Had a vital hand in the first goal by applying pressure near the box, and could have clocked another assist if not for Sam Smith’s missed sitter.
CM: Ben Sheaf – 8
Sat deeper near the three man Wrexham defence, which gave more freedom to Dobson and Cacace to exploit gaps in between the Nottingham Forest midfield.
RWB: Ryan Longman – 7
Wrexham’s chances mostly originated from the left hand side but Ryan Longman also had a golden scoring opportunity. With the scoreboard at 3-2, Sam Smith’s weak header fell to Longman but his grounded effort landed straight into Sels hands.
LW: Nathan Broadhead – 8
Nathan Broadhead was lively in attack once again, forming a dangerous partnership with Ollie Rathbone.
Laid the assist on Rathbone’s 2-0 goal and also released Sam Smith with a similar pass that he played for Kieffer Moore’s brace against Sheffield United the other day. Unfortunately, Smith’s finishing was poor this time.
ST: Sam Smith – 7
Honestly, this FA Cup win wasn’t Sam Smith’s day. He could have walked back with a brace, making it 3 back-to-back games while scoring across all competitions but couldn’t.
RW: Ollie Rathbone – 9
Tested Nottingham Forest No. 1 Matz Sels early on with a rocket of a strike, from outside the box. Later, he beat Sels with a low-drilled shot and tracked back frequently to aid the Wrexham defence.
