Nottingham Forest suffered a shock defeat to Wrexham in the FA Cup third round on Friday night, prompting an angry reaction from Sean Dyche who blasted his players after the match.
The Tricky Trees went into the clash as favourites to progress to the fourth round against the Championship side, but they were defeat on penalty shootout after overturning a two-goal deficit.
The home side raced into a two-goal lead in the first half through goals from Liberato Cacace and Oliver Rathbone.
Igor Jesus pulled one back for the English Premier League side, before Wrexham restored their two-goal advantage through Dominic Hyam.
However, Callum Hudson-Odoi scored twice in the final 15 minutes of the thrilling contest to send the game into extra-time.
“The first half was unacceptable. The players know and some individuals certainly know”, Sean Dyche said after the match.
“They’ve got to look in the mirror on that side of things, but the players who came on in the second half, I thought they were a credit. We looked like a Premier League side.
“There were two brilliant goals from Callum… penalties are a lottery but we created enough chances to win the game, but we didn’t in the end”, the former Burnley manager added.
With no goals during the additional 30 minutes of action, the game headed for penalty shootout.
Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo saved from Jesus and Omari Hutchinson, while his side scored four of their five spot-kicks to seal a 4-3 win on penalty shootout and advance to the fourth round.
It was also their first win over a Premier League opposition in 26 years, while Forest fail to match their semifinal run of last season with an early exit this time around.
“They all knock on your door and say ‘why aren’t I playing’ – well the evidence is quite honestly there for some, not for all.
“But that’s what football is. You’ve got to train and prepare right because when your time comes, you’ve got to be ready and there were too many not ready in the first half”, Dyche concluded.
Wrexham advance to the fourth round and will find out their opponent when the draw holds on Monday night.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
