Nottingham Forest needed a penalty shootout to seal their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup after their tie with Exeter City finished 2-2 after extra-time.

Before the game, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo had admitted he was “worried” about the tie as his team looked to avoid falling victim to a giant killing in Devon. Having seen Liverpool knocked out on Sunday, the Reds went into the match as the highest ranked side remaining in the competition.

Their mission to progress to the next round got off to the worst possible start as they fell behind with just five minutes on the clock. A fumble by goalkeeper Carlos Miguel left Josh Magennis free to convert from close range and threaten to pull off an upset.

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Forest responded well, though, and had turned things around by the break. Jota Sosa equalised on the quarter-hour when he latched on to an Ibrahim Sangare ball over the top, then Taiwo Awoniyi put the visitors in front with 37 minutes gone. It was a superb finish from the Nigerian, on the turn from the edge of the D, and another excellent assist from Sangare.

If anyone thought that was game over, however, the Grecians had other ideas. Willy Boly seemed to get the final touch when Magennis looked to force in the rebound after Miguel had palmed away the initial attempt.

The hosts had the wind in their sails and pushed for another goal but they were down to 10 men for the final minutes as Ed Turns was sent off for a challenge on Morgan Gibbs-White. Forest, though, were dealt another injury blow. Having already lost goalkeeper Miguel, Awoniyi was then stretchered off in added time after a lengthy stoppage following a nasty collision in the box.

Jota Silva had a great chance to win the tie at the death but he hit the post and it meant another 30 minutes had to be played as the game went to extra-time. With no breakthrough in the extra half hour, the match had to be decided by penalties. Chris Wood, Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams scored from the spot to send the Reds through 4-2 on spot-kicks and set up a clash with Ipswich Town in the next round. Below is how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at St James Park.

Carlos Miguel: Not the best of nights for the Brazilian. Won’t want to watch the opening goal again as he made a mess of that, then conceded again before being forced off with an injury. Rating: 5/10

Eric da Silva Moreira: Always difficult for a teenager to step into a much-changed defence in a potentially tricky cup tie. A young player with potential, though, even if this wasn’t necessarily his best showing. Rating: 5.5/10

Willy Boly: Evening perhaps didn’t pan out as the defender might have envisaged. A wobbly moment in the build-up to Exeter’s opener and then the hosts’ equaliser went down as an own goal from him. Rating: 5/10

Harry Toffolo: Drafted in as a centre-back as Nuno shuffled his pack and named a new-look defence. Always a chance it would be a tricky night with a defence that hadn’t really played together, and so it proved. Rating: 5.5/10

Alex Moreno: Perhaps a bit of rustiness showed for the left-back at times - not that he was alone on that front. Exeter did their best to cause the visitors problems and put them under pressure. Rating: 5/10

Ibrahim Sangare: What a way to mark his first start since returning from injury. Pulled the strings in the middle of the park with some lovely passes, including his two assists. Can have a key part to play in the remainder of the season. Rating: 8/10

Ryan Yates: Had a sight of goal just before the break but wasn’t able to convert - might have been a different second half had he made it 3-1. Seemed to enjoy the battle of a real cup tie. Rating: 7/10

Jota Silva: Always looked to get involved and wasn’t short of energy, even if he couldn’t quite put his stamp on the game. Forced a save from the keeper late on, though, and hit the post right at the end of normal time. Rating: 6/10

Danilo: Some nice moments for the Brazilian as he got some valuable minutes under his belt again with a second successive start. Still building up to full sharpness but he is getting there. Rating: 7/10

Ramon Sosa: Good goal for his third of the season in all competitions. Showed determination to get on the end of Sangare’s ball and took it really well. Looked lively for much of the evening. Rating: 7/10

Taiwo Awoniyi: Vintage Awoniyi for his goal. That was a wonderful finish from the front man, from the edge of the D. A real worry to see him stretchered off late on after a horrible collision in the box. Rating: 7.5/10

Subs

Matz Sels (for Miguel, 59mins): Called into action almost immediately after coming on for the injured Miguel. Doubt he expected to be called upon for a penalty shootout. Rating: 7/10

Nicolas Dominguez (for Danilo, 59mins): Provided some fresh legs but the Reds were certainly not at their best in the second half. Went close in the second period of extra-time. Rating: 6.5/10

Elliot Anderson (for Yates, 72mins): Brought a bit of a spark to proceedings as Nuno turned to his big guns from the bench. Just couldn’t quite help his team make a breakthrough. Rating: 7/10

Morgan Gibbs-White (for Sangare, 72mins): Made a difference as soon as he entered the fray by testing the goalkeeper. On the end of a nasty challenge for the hosts’ red card. Rating: 7/10

Chris Wood (for Awoniyi, 90+13mins): Had a couple of sights of goal but couldn’t quite make the most of them. Clinical from the spot during the shootout, though. Rating: 6.5/10

Neco Williams (for Moreno, 90mins): Wasn’t too far away from getting on the scoresheet in the first period of extra-time. Certainly gave his all during extra-time. Rating: 7/10

Subs not used: Morato, Elanga, Abbott.

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