FA Cup: All White Liberato Cacace scores as Wrexham upset Nottingham Forest

Liberato Cacace celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English FA Cup third-round football match between Wrexham and Nottingham Forest. Photo / AFP

All White Liberato Cacace scored his first goal for Wrexham in his first start for two months as the Welsh club knocked Nottingham Forest out of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Cacace netted the opener with a strike from outside the area late in the first half as Wrexham led 2-0 at the break and 3-1 in the second half, but Forest scored two late goals to take the tie to extra time and penalties. Wrexham were 2-1 up when Cacace was substituted after an hour.

Wrexham won the shootout 4-3, with keeper Arthur Okonko providing the heroics, saving from Igor Jesus and Omari Hutchinson after Josh Windass, Callum Doyle, George Thomason and Jay Rodriguez all scored from the spot for the Championship club.

The win was Wrexham’s first over a Premier League club in the FA Cup since 1999. Hollywood star and co-owner Ryan Reynolds was at the ground to see the side advance to the last 32.

Wrexham have won all four of their league games since Boxing Day and are ninth, just one point outside the playoff places.

After a record three successive promotions, Reynolds and fellow co-owner Rob McElhenney will be dreaming of a fourth to the Premier League. Wrexham are well placed to at least surpass the club’s highest-ever finish of 15th in the second tier.

Defeat continues a disappointing campaign for Nottingham Forest, on to their third manager and still without last season’s top scorer, All White Chris Wood, who underwent surgery over Christmas.

Last season Forest qualified for Europe for the first time in three decades and reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 34 years, losing 2-0 to Manchester City.

The Midlands club are now just one place above the relegation zone, albeit seven points clear of 18th-placed West Ham, managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis just three games into this season.

Despite fielding a weakened line-up, Forest manager Sean Dyche was disappointed with how his side started the cup tie.

“The first half was completely unacceptable,” said Dyche. “I let the players know, and certainly some individuals will know, and they’ve got to look in the mirror at that side of things. But, the strangeness of football, I thought the players that came on in the second half were a credit, and we went on and looked like a Premier League side.”

In Saturday’s other ties, League One Wigan, shock winners of the 2013 FA Cup, won 1-0 at Championship playoff hopefuls Preston, with Port Vale – bottom of the third tier – beating fourth-division Fleetwood by the same score.

Oxford, battling to avoid relegation from the Championship, needed penalties to see off Milton Keynes Dons 4-3 in the shootout after being held to a 1-1 draw by the League Two side.

FA Cup holders Crystal Palace are away to non-league Macclesfield on Sunday, when eight-time winners Tottenham Hotspur face Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

Another all top-flight encounter is on Monday, when Manchester United face Brighton at Old Trafford in a repeat of the 1983 final that United won in a replay. Premier League leaders Arsenal are away to Championship strugglers Portsmouth on Monday.

– with AFP