Nottingham Forest advanced to the fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup thanks to a decisive extra-time strike from Charlie Wellings, sealing a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
Nottingham Forest forged the first effort on goal in the seventh minute when a cross from Chandarana was shot wide by Charlie Wellings. Wellings carved Burnley open by finding space outside the box but was ruled offside before shooting just wide of the far post.
Burnley were quick to retaliate, with Kelly powering the ball towards the left side of the goal, forcing Emily Batty to make a quick save.
Batty was tested again only minutes later, as Walker was left inexplicably unmarked down the right wing. With Chandarana unable to close her down, Walker broke free and unleashed a long-range effort that grazed Batty’s arm, tipping over the bar. The effort was ultimately rendered moot as the offside flag was raised.
Chandarana and Wellings paired up once again to create the next effort on goal for Nottingham Forest. Chandarana danced the ball through the Burnley defence and crossed into Wellings. Charlie received the ball but was unable to capitalise on the chance, dropping it onto the top of the net.
Melissa Johnson, unable to find a clear sight of goal, opted to lay the ball off to Wellings inside the box. However, Wellings' strike was comfortably gathered by Levell, maintaining the deadlock.
Kelly sent a flying pass through to Walker, forcing Batty off her line. A 1v1 between Walker and Batty saw the visitors almost creep ahead, but a spectacular save from Batty kept the game level at halftime.
HALFTIME: 0-0
Both sides came out fighting after the interval, but it was Nottingham Forest who once again attempted to open the scoring. Amy Sims crafted a precise pass through to Freya Thomas, who drifted around Hazard before conducting a low strike from the left side of the goal, hitting the netting.
Burnley made their first substitutions in the sixtieth minute, bringing Reidford on for Hazard. Despite facing intense pressure from Nottingham Forest, Burnley continued to play from the back, hoping a fresh set of legs would secure the win.
Burnley’s best chance of the 90 came shortly after, as Walker slid the ball through to Logan. However, Logan’s effort was superbly saved by Batty, keeping the Reds in the game.
Two yellow cards followed in quick succession - Siddall received the first for a foul on Wellings. Following the free kick, Chandarana earned a reciprocal booking for bringing down a Burnley midfielder during a scramble.
Carly Davies made her first substitutions as the clock approached the 70th minute, bringing on Natalie Johnson to replace Amy Sims.
Johnson made an instant impact, threading the ball through to Wellings at the back post, who narrowly missed the goal and headed it out of play.
Nottingham Forest thought they had secured a victory within the 90 minutes after Melissa Johnson slipped the ball into the bottom corner of the net. However, their delight was short-lived as the offside flag was raised, ruling out the goal.
The final five minutes of added time saw frantic attempts and sloppy passes. Both sides pushed to score the all-important goal to avoid playing another 30 minutes, but neither succeeded.
EXTRA TIME: 0-0
The Clarets opened extra time by offering Nottingham Forest a corner, where Holly Manders almost gave Forest the lead. Sweeping the ball into the box, Wilkes managed to head it away at the near post but failed to clear it fully. Manders, slipping back into the box, took another shot on goal, which Wilkes deflected before sending the ball out of play.
In the 99th minute, the hosts scored the decisive goal. After a strike from substitute Bridget Galloway fell out of Levell’s grasp, Wellings hooked her left foot around the ball, guiding it into the bottom corner of the goal.
Despite a continued push from Burnley for an equalizer, Sawiuk’s players exited the FA Cup in the fourth round.
Nottingham Forest will go on to face Newcastle on Sunday, January 12, 2025, in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
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