| Nottingham Forest | VS | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
| Date | : | Tuesday, Sep 20, 2011 |
| Time | : | 20:45 CET |
| Competition | : | English Carling Cup |
Nottingham Forest
Robbie Findley (46')
Matt Derbyshire (66')
Marcus Tudgay (114')
Newcastle United
Peter Lovenkrands (39')
Peter Lovenkrands (pen 60')
Danny Simpson (93')
Fabricio Coloccini (120')
Fabricio Coloccini enhanced his cult-hero status with a last-gasp winner at Nottingham Forest as Newcastle sneaked through to the fourth round of the Carling Cup with a 4-3 win.
The Argentinian snatched victory with a header in the second minute of injury time at the end of extra-time just as it looked as though a compelling tie was heading for penalties.
Newcastle led three times through Peter Lovenkrands' double and Danny Simpson's fluke strike, but equalisers from Robbie Findley, Matt Derbyshire and, in the 115th minute, Marcus Tudgay, kept the result in doubt until Coloccini's late, late intervention.
Manager Alan Pardew, who rested nine of his first-teamers, will have been delighted to leave the City Ground with the club's name in the hat, but there were plenty of positives too for beleaguered Forest counterpart Steve McClaren as his side pushed their Barclays Premier League opponents all the way.
Pardew admitted before the game that he would make changes as he attempted to protect the men who have left the club sitting in fourth place in the top flight table after an unbeaten start to the campaign.
His decision to rest so many - only Coloccini and Simpson were retained from the starting line-up at Aston Villa on Saturday - handed chances to a series of under-studies, but perhaps more importantly, the long-suffering Hatem Ben Arfa.
The Frenchman had managed only four competitive appearances for the club before running out at the City Ground almost 12 months after suffering an horrific double leg fracture, with his return delayed by an ankle ligament injury picked up in pre-season.
There were debuts too for keeper Rob Elliot and 19-year-old midfielder Mehdi Abeid as Pardew gave his fringe players their heads.
Abeid was impressively tidy in central midfield as he and Danny Guthrie attempted to start the creative process.
However, it was another Frenchman, Sylvain Marveaux, who proved the first-half's pivotal character.
He might have given the Magpies a 12th-minute lead after being played in over the top by Danny Guthrie's delicious pass, although he delayed fatally to allow full-back Brendan Moloney to cover across and make a vital block.
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