Nottingham Forest v Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Commentary & Result, 11/1/23, League Cup

That's all for today, goodbye!

Forest put their name into the hat for the draw and they'll find out their next opponents very shortly. They're back in Premier League action next, hosting Leicester City. Wolves' attention now turns back to league survival, with West Ham up next for them.

Nottingham Forest are through to the semi-final of the EFL Cup after beating Wolves 4-3 on penalties. It finished 1-1 in normal time thanks to goals from Boly and Jimenez, but it's Henderson who is the hero for the hosts after saving the first and last spot-kicks in the shoot-out to deny Neves and Hodge. Surridge saw Forest's first penalty saved, but they scored the rest to see them through. It ended on a slightly sour note though, with tempers boiling over after the final whistle with players from both sides having to be dragged away from each other during Forest's celebrations.

FULL-TIME: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1-1 WOLVES (FOREST WIN 4-3 ON PENALTIES).

COLBACK SCORES! He goes straight down the middle, getting a lot of power on it. Sa could do nothing as he dived to his left, and Wolves have to score this next one to stay in it...

HENDERSON SAVES IT! It falls to Hodge to take the final kick for Wolves and he sends it to the left of the goal. Henderson reads it and dives the right way to tip it away and send Nottingham Forest into the semi-finals! 4-3 Forest!

CUNHA SCORES! Cool as you like, he steps up to the spot and slots it into the bottom right corner of the net. Henderson is static on his line and gets nowhere near it. 3-3!

GIBBS-WHITE SCORES... JUST! He stuttered his run-up, taking a big hop just in front of the ball as he fired it on goal. Sa went the right way, and got his hands to it but can't stop it from hitting the back of the net.

MATHEUS SCORES! It's another good spot kick as he lifts it into the back of the net, sending it out of Henderson's reach as he dives to his right. 2-2!

WORRALL SCORES! Once again, Sa dives to his right, but Worrall doesn't go that way. He sends it straight down the middle and gives the fans behind the goal an emphatic fist pump in celebration.

PODENCE SCORES! There's no saving a penalty like that! Podence steps up, cool as you like, and even though Henderson goes the right way, the ball is hit into the roof of the net.

FREULER SCORES! We have the first goal of the shootout! He hits his shot low into the bottom right corner, sending Sa the wrong way as it nestles into the net. 1-0 Forest!

HENDERSON SAVES TOO! Neves goes first for Wolves and he goes the same way as Surridge. It's a poor penalty at a comfortable height for Henderson, who gets fully behind it.

IT'S SAVED! Surridge steps up first for Forest and he gets a lot of power behind his spot-kick. Sa goes the right way, and sticks up a big left hand to keep him out.

D. Henderson

Penalty Save

97' Hodge's penalty was better than Surridge's a little earlier, but the outcome is the same!

D. Henderson

Penalty Save

91' Neves' kick really isn't great, giving Henderson every chance to make the stop. Nevertheless, he still needed to do his bit!

Neither side has been taken to penalties in the competition yet this season. The coin toss has been done and Forest are going first.

We're going to penalties to decide who will go to the EFL Cup semi-final after a 1-1 draw between Forest and Wolves. It was the old cliche of a game of two halves - Forest had the better of the first, with Boly poking in his first goal for the club on the rebound after Aurier hit the bar. Wolves grew into the game, forcing two good saves out of Henderson before Jimenez equalised in the second half, tapping in from close range. Yates saw a deflected pass almost trickle over the line, but it hit the inside of the post before Toti cleared it.

90' + 6' FULL-TIME: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1-1 WOLVES.

R. Yates

Yellow Card

90' + 4' Yellow Card Ryan James Yates

Yellow Card

90' + 4' The yellow card is out again, this time for Yates, who caught Jonny with a late challenge.

90' + 3' It's a wonderful cross-field pass from Matheus out to Neves on the left and he makes his way into the box. It's not his cleanest strike as he fizzes it across goal, and Freuler easily blocks it.

90' + 1' Both sides have six additional minutes to try and find a winner before we go to penalties at the City Ground. Traore is away down the right again, and he wins another corner due to his perseverance.

José Sá

Penalty Save

90' It's a great stop from the Portuguese keeper. He guessed correctly and kept his arm strong.

Yellow Card

89' The protests carry on even after play has restarted and the referee is called over to the touchline by the fourth official. Lopetegui has crossed a line with his complaints and he also goes into the book.

S. Aurier

Yellow Card

88' As does Aurier, who needlessly got involved when he was nowhere near the original incident.

Daniel Podence

Yellow Card

88' There's a coming together between both sets of players, who haven't reacted well to Wolves' penalty claim. Podence also picks up a booking.

Matheus Nunes

Yellow Card

87' Matheus is incensed with the referee as he once again shows the official his boot that came off. Graham Scott is having none of it though and books him for dissent.

87' Traore loops another cross into the box from the right and Matheus blocks it off from Dennis. He goes to ground, losing his boot in the process. He was waiting for the contact to come and the referee says no penalty.

86' Wolves manage to win a corner and Matheus tries to loop it into the crowd at the far post. It's too high for everyone and Forest get it away as Cooper urges everyone to get upfield with it.

84' Forest are dropping deeper into their own half and allowing Wolves to keep possession. The visitors are struggling to break them down, with crosses being blocked on both flanks.

82' It's a sloppy pass out from Worrall at the back as he gifts it straight to Hodge. He looks to Cunha on the left, but the return pass is just too short and McKenna puts his foot through it.

J. Hodge

Hwang Hee-Chan

80' Final roll of the dice for Wolves as they go in search of a late winner. Hwang is taken off, with Hodge on in his place.

79' Wolves have progressed from just three of their last 20 EFL Cup ties against top-flight opponents, though one of these was in their most recent such match against Leeds United in this season's third round.

77' OFF THE POST! Colback's return pass to Dennis hits Semedo's knee and bobbles towards goal. Sa scrambles back but can't reach it and the ball rebounds off the inside of the post before Toti hooks it away in front of the line. Some of the Forest fans started their celebrations too early, but Wolves breath a sigh of relief.

Adama Traoré

R. Jiménez

75' Fourth change for Wolves now as Traore comes on in place of Jimenez.

Rúben Neves

Yellow Card

74' Neves just ran into Aurier as he cleared the ball and took his leg out from under him. He's pleading his innocence, but still goes into the book.

72' Gibbs-White is dropping deeper to get on the ball, and he threads a good throughball to Dennis on the edge of the D. He sets himself before curling a shot on goal, but Jonny throws himself in front of it.

70' Wolves aren't giving Forest a lot of time on the ball, but Yates manages to force his way down the right wing. He takes on one player too many in the end though, and Kilman gets it away.

S. Surridge

B. Johnson

68' And Johnson is also taken off, with Surridge replacing him.

E. Dennis

Gustavo Scarpa

68' More changes for Forest now. Scarpa is the first to make way, with Dennis coming on for him.

67' Forest can't get out of their half at the moment as Wolves look to build on their momentum. Matheus spots Jimenez's run off the back of Worrall, but it's too close to Henderson.

J. Colback

O. Mangala

65' Forest are making another change in the aftermath of Wolves' equaliser. Mangala is taken off, with Colback on for him.

Matheus Cunha

Assist

64' Cunha has only been on the pitch a matter of minutes, but he's already made an impact by getting Wolves back into this game.

R. Jiménez

Goal

64' JIMENEZ EQUALISES! It's a lovely move by Wolves which Hwang starts on the right and he lays it off to Matheus, who bursts forward through the middle. He picks out Cunha in space, who puts it on a plate for Jimenez at the far post and he touches it into the empty net. 1-1!

63' Henderson rolls the ball out in front of him and then is forced to rush his clearance as Jimenez closes him down. The keeper slices it out of play, and Wolves are straight on the attack again.

S. McKenna

W. Boly

61' Boly attempted to carry on after finishing his treatment, but after hobbling around for 30 seconds or so, it's clear he can't stay on. McKenna comes on to replace the goal scorer.

Matheus Cunha

João Moutinho

59' And Moutinho is also making way, with Cunha replacing him.

Daniel Podence

R. Aït-Nouri

59' Wolves are making a double change during the break in play. Ait-Nouri is the first to go off, with Podence coming on in his place.

57' Boly slid in on Hwang from behind and his ankle gets caught in the turf as he wins the ball. He's in some pain as he gestures to the bench, and he's receiving treatment.

55' BLOCK! It's brilliant footwork from Gibbs-White to wrongfoot two Wolves defenders in the box. He was trying to open up space for a shot but got dragged wide instead so he drills a low cross to Aurier at the far post, but his first-time shot hits Kilman.

54' Forest are enjoying a good spell of possession as they try to find their rhythm after a slow start to the half. Wolves are dropping deep in their own half, making it difficult for them to get forward.

52' Jonny finds himself high upfield after making a surging run through the middle. He plays a one-two with Ait-Nouri but is blocked from reaching it by Yates on the edge of the box, giving away a foul.

50' GOOD SAVE! It's a poor header back to the defence by Neves, who doesn't see Gibbs-White hovering just in front of them. He steps in before dragging it around Kilman and drilling a low shot on goal that Sa gets down quickly to tip wide.

48' It's a better start by Wolves to this half, and they're keeping Forest penned back in their own half. Semedo cuts inside and finds space after linking up with Jimenez. He takes aim from range, but it's blocked by Worrall.

46' Forest get us back underway for the second half!

Rúben Neves

Gonçalo Guedes

46' There's a change for Wolves at the start of the second half. Guedes is taken off, with Neves on in his place.

Lopetegui was a frustrated figure on the touchline and he made no attempts to hide it. Wolves created a lot of their own problems, sloppily giving the ball away too many times, and he'll want to see a big improvement. After a strong start, Forest began to look shaky towards the end of the half, and Cooper will be hoping to go back out on the front foot.

Boly's first goal for Forest gives them a 1-0 lead over Wolves going into half-time. The hosts made a very bright start to the game and got their reward through a corner. Aurier's flick smacked the bar and rebounded off Jonny and kindly to Boly, who poked home. Wolves grew into the game after that and had a couple of great chances to equalise, with Henderson making big saves to keep out Jimenez and Hwang.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1-0 WOLVES.

45' + 1' There are going to be three additional minutes at the end of the first half as Wolves look to try and make something happen before the break.

44' Once again, Wolves sloppily give the ball away deep in their own half and Johnson is onto it. He touches it out to Scarpa on the left, but Toti is able to glance his cross away in the middle.

42' Wolves are patiently trying to work it down their right, but are crowded out and have to rethink their attack. Ait-Nouri bundles it to Hwang on the edge of the box, but he's quickly dispossessed and Forest hook it away.

40' GREAT SAVE! It's another good counter from Wolves as Jimenez drifts out to the right before clipping a lovely cross into the far post. Hwang runs onto it, hitting it on the half-volley, and Henderson gets a strong hand to it.

39' It's Jonny with the loose pass this time and Johnson has the opportunity to break on the counter. He doesn't get far before Matheus cuts him off, but Lopetegui is airing his frustrations from his technical area.

M. Kilman

Yellow Card

37' Johnson gets across to nick the ball of Kilman, and the defender tugs him back by his shirt to stop him from getting away. He's shown the first booking of the game.

36' It's a clever corner from Wolves, as Moutinho plays it low across the byline and Kilman flicks it into the middle at the near post. Ait-Nouri runs onto it, but his first-time shot is blocked.

35' GOOD SAVE! Wolves win back possession deep in their own half and Moutinho sets off on the counter. He knocks it out to Hwang, who tees up Jimenez through the middle, but Henderson makes himself big to deny him.

34' It's better from Wolves here as Hwang bursts down the right, and his cross is blocked by Boly. It rebounds out to Guedes on the edge of the box, and he's off balance as he hits the shot, so it's straight down the middle at Henderson.

33' Scarpa is quickly back to his feet after going through the checks with the medical team, and he's okay to carry on.

32' Lodi plays it long over the top and Scarpa is giving chase but finds his route blocked by Toti, who helped it back to Sa. The defender caught him with an accidental flailing arm to the face, and he needs treatment.

30' Hwang decides against having a run at Aurier and cuts back inside before playing a blind cross into the box. There's nobody in there for Wolves and it flies harmlessly out for a goal-kick.

28' Wolves sloppily give the ball away again and are instantly put on the back foot. Aurier looks to play it over the top for Scarpa, but Toti gets across to make up for his mistake.

26' Johnson has gone down off the ball here and he may have picked out a problem. The medical team give him treatment, and it looks like he's going to try and carry on.

24' Lopetegui is a frustrated figure on the touchline, and he's screaming instructions to his players. Wolves are keeping the ball better at the moment, but they're struggling to get it into the box.

22' It's a good move by Wolves as Guedes helps it onto Ait-Nouri down the left. He fizzes a dangerous low cross into the middle and Jimenez glances it on, but Hwang can't get there ahead of Boly on the far side.

20' Aurier cuts out a big switch out to Ait-Nouri and he sets Yates away through the middle. He picks out Johnson's run down the right again, and his cross deflects off Jonny to go out for another corner.

W. Boly

Goal

18' BOLY SCORES! Forest have been packing bodies into the six-yard box for every corner they win, and it works a treat this time! Gibbs-White's corner is flicked on by Aurier at the near post and his effort hits the bar. It hits Jonny at the far post and bounces kindly to Boly, who is there to slot it in from very close range against his former club. 1-0 Forest!

16' Wolves can't make anything of their corner, and Scarpa helps Forest to break on the counter. It's switched out to Johnson on the right, but the youngster's cross is too close to Toti.

14' Semedo plays a couple of one-twos to advance down the right, and Hwang plays his return pass into the box. The right-back is trying to get around Boly to reach it, but the ex-Wolves man stands his ground long enough to hook it away.

12' Wolves have won five of their last six meetings with Nottingham Forest in all competitions, including a 1-0 victory in the Premier League meeting in October.

10' Wolves just can't get out of their half at the moment. Matheus' clearance isn't the best as he gifts it straight to Gibbs-White, who looks for Johnson with a first-time throughball. Kilman reads it well though and shields it back to Sa.

8' There are big shouts for a penalty from the Forest fans and players for a handball against Kilman when Johnson crossed the ball. His arm was tight to his side when it hit him and he was just outside the box, so the hosts have a corner instead.

6' Gibbs-White teases a dangerous ball into the box and Toti is holding off Johnson and urging Sa to come for it. The keeper is unmoved on his line and Toti just about manages to clear the danger.

4' BLOCK! Forest have made a bright start to this game and Lodi slides it down the left for Gibbs-White in space. He squares it to the unmarked Scarpa at the far post, but Toti rushes over to block the sliced effort.

2' There's a nervy moment at the back as Semedo fizzes a pass into Toti, who takes a heavy touch on the edge of his own box. Johnson is chasing the loose ball, but Sa rushes out to clear his lines.

1' Jimenez gets the game underway for Wolves!

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away!

Wolves have won three of their previous four EFL Cup quarter-final ties. However, this is their first one since 1995-96, a game which they lost 1-0 to eventual winners Aston Villa.

Lopetegui makes six changes from their match against Liverpool on Saturday. Sa is back in goal, with Semedo, Kilman, Hwang, Moutinho and Matheus also coming into the side. Sarkic, Lembisika, Collins, Traore, Neves and Hodge drop to the bench.

After making wholesale changes for their FA Cup game at the weekend, Cooper reverts back to the side that started their last Premier League outing, with just one difference. Scarpa, who did start against Blackpool, is called upon again as he replaces the fatigued Taiwo Awoniyi.

WOLVES SUBS: Adama Traore, Daniel Podence, Ruben Neves, Dexter Lembikisa, Matheus Cunha, Joseph Hodge, Matija Sarkic, Nathan Collins, Hugo Bueno.

WOLVES STARTING XI (4-4-2): Jose Sa; Nelson Semedo, Maximilian Kilman, Toti, Jonny; Hwang Hee-Chan, Joao Moutinho, Matheus Nunes, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Raul Jimenez, Goncalo Guedes.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST SUBS: Harry Toffolo, Scott McKenna, Sam Surridge, Emmanuel Dennis, Wayne Hennessey, Steve Cook, Loic Mbe Soh, Jack Colback, Lewis O'Brien.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST STARTING XI (4-3-3): Dean Henderson; Serge Aurier, Willy Boly, Joe Worrall, Renan Lodi; Ryan Yates, Remo Freuler, Oriel Mangala; Morgan Gibbs-White, Brennan Johnson, Gustavo Scarpa.

Forest are looking to reach the EFL Cup semi-final for the first time since 1991-92. They comfortably sailed through the round of 16 with a 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers, but have won just one of their four games since (D1 L2). Steve Cooper will also be looking to quickly put their loss in the FA Cup last time out behind them after losing 4-1 to Championship Blackpool. They face a Wolves side who beat Gillingham 2-0 in the last round in Julen Lopetegui's first match in charge. They've lost just one of their games since he took over (W2 D2), and almost knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup on Saturday, but were denied a late winner due to VAR drama in a 2-2 draw.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the EFL Cup quarter-final between Nottingham Forest and Wolves at the City Ground!

Nottingham Forest v Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Commentary, 12/1/23

Key Events

Match Stats

Commentary