Nottingham Forest have caused another FA Cup upset by beating East Midlands rivals Leicester City 4-1. Although it did not feel like it on the day, Forest vs Leicester is seen as something of a sideshow in the colourful array of Midlands football rivalries. This is on account of its perception as lacking the historical intensity to match the geographical closeness between the sides, with Forest fans savouring clashes with Derby County and even Sheffield United over the Foxes.

That isn’t to say there haven’t been memorable encounters over the years; Forest’s record league win was a 12-0 rout over Leicester in 1909 when the Foxes players turned up to the game hungover, and a 2007 League Cup game saw Forest’s Paul Smith score the fastest ever goal by a goalkeeper, after Leicester allowed The Reds a free goal after the postponement of the previous fixture due to a medical emergency. Most Forest fans will also painfully remember Leicester beating their side to the final Championship play-off place on the last day of the 2012/13 season with a dramatic 3-2 victory. Since the last meeting between the sides in 2014, the clubs have gone in dramatically different directions. Leicester shocked the world to win the 2015/16 Premier League title, while Forest have repeatedly failed to end their 20-year exile from the top-flight.

The excitement of the returning derby was palpable, but before the game things took a sour turn. Leicester fans attacked and threw chairs at several Nottingham businesses, including the Fat Cat, a restaurant over 2 miles from the City Ground that was serving shoppers and families. However, the majority of fans focused on the game itself, generating a loud and exciting atmosphere that only served to drive up the intensity on the pitch.

Leicester actually started the brighter, attacking with intent and sending several half chances wide, but the first big chance came to Forest when Aston Villa loanee Keinan Davis brought the ball down with his chest and smashed the ball against the crossbar. Davis was also involved in the opener, nodding down a Brennan Johnson cross for Phillip Zinkernagel to tap home. The goal sent the A-Block, the City Ground’s unofficial standing section, into delirium with bodies flying everywhere – your faithful Redbrick Sport reporter has the bruises to prove it. Just as the celebrations had died down, and my vision of the pitch had been restored by the fans in front of me climbing down of their seats, I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw Leicester right-back James Justin misjudge a backpass to send Johnson clean through. The young winger sent the ball through the keeper’s legs to send the Forest fans off again.

After two goals in just over a minute, a sense of disbelief was descending over both sets of fans. Leicester, who are known for their poor set-piece defending, were punished again by a James Garner corner that was headed home by Joe Worrall. As the Forest academy product and boyhood fan wheeled away in celebration, the mood of the Leicester supporters turned from stunned silence into anger. A 19-year-old fan ran onto the pitch and threw punches at the celebrating Forest players, an act that will see him serve a lifetime football ban. The Foxes made the tie a bit nervier just before the break as idiosyncratic goalkeeper Brice Samba strayed too far out of his box, allowing Kelechi Iheanacho to round him and produce a cool finish from a tight angle.

Even with that setback, Forest showed no signs of collapse in the second half. Although Leicester had the greater share of possession, the hosts defended well and looked dangerous on the counter. The fans made sure to compound Leicester’s frustration with every mistake; James Maddison receiving particular abuse at every misplaced set-piece. Djed Spence put the tie beyond any doubt for Forest, with the right-back marauding forward and slotting home a return pass from Zinckernagel, capping off an impressive victory for the Championship team.

For Leicester, a team that has gate-crashed the ‘big six’ in recent years, this defeat will cap off a disappointing season of regression. Manager Brendan Rodgers described the defeat as ‘embarrassing’ and promised that big changes would be made in the summer. In contrast, this is another impressive victory for Forest who look completely transformed under Steve Cooper, and have been rewarded with another home tie against an equally resurgent Huddersfield Town in the fifth round.

While my tongue may have been (mostly) in cheek when singing about the Reds making it all the way to Wembley, Forest fans now hope that, after beating Arsenal in the last round and being only two points off the Championship play-offs, the loving feeling is on its way back to Trentside.

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