Nottingham Forest 1-1 Ipswich Town (5-4 on penalties): Matz Sels’ shootout save sends Forest through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup

When George Hirst lit the fuse on the last of the fifth-round ties with the opening goal, there would have been Ipswich Town fans in the jubilant away end praying the stars were about to align.

Hirst’s father David had scored for Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup final in 1993, the same year Ipswich last reached the quarter finals.

But Nottingham Forest are not in the business of accepting their fate. Not this season under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Forest fought back through Ryan Yates, who headed an equaliser to take the tie into extra time and the home team won on penalties when goalkeeper Matz Sels denied Jack Taylor from the tenth spot kick of a near perfect set of penalties shootout.

It is Nuno’s team who into the last eight, for the second time in four years. Having beaten Exeter City on penalties in the fourth round they triumphed again and will go to Brighton next.

This campaign simply gets better for those at City Ground.

The Belgian goalkeeper is mobbed by his grateful team-mates after a dramatic shootout

George Hirst (No 27) celebrates heading Ipswich into a 53rd-minute lead at the City Ground

Both teams started with their top goal scorers on the bench. Nuno gave a breather to Chris Wood and creator-in-chief Morgan Gibbs-White among his six changes, while Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna changed eight of the team that started at Manchester United, last week, leaving left Liam Delap among the substitutes.

Unsurprisingly, the first half was disjointed and littered with errors. It had the feel of a game featuring fringe players not quite operating at full match sharpness and lacking the fluency of those who play together regularly.

Nathan Broadhead glanced a header into the gloves of Matz Sels in the opening seconds but the pattern of the first half saw the visitors sitting deep in numbers to deny their opponents space on the counterattack and absorbing pressure, smothering shots and blocking shots.

Ibrahim Sangare was closest to scoring before the interval with a header from one a series of corners, escaping marker Massimo Luongo and diving at the near post, deflecting the ball across goal and narrowly wide at the far post.

Anthony Elanga and Sangare fired over from distance, but Ipswich, could take satisfaction from the way they frustrated Forest and drew the sting from the City Ground atmosphere and subdued the home crowd.

McKenna made two changes in his back four at half time and his team immediately looked more purposeful, even if the threat of Forest on the turnover of possession was also evident with Elanga quickly forcing a fine low save from Alex Palmer with a crisp drive on the break.

But it was Ipswich who broke through from a corner after Sels tipped over a fizzing 25-yarder from Sam Morsy. Ben Johnson delivered the set piece beyond the back post where Hirst was unmarked, and his header zipped down and off the turf and between the legs of goalkeeper Sels.

Nuno’s first response was to send on midfielders Gibbs-White and Eliot Anderson. He also had Wood was stripped and standing on the touchline ready to come on, when Yates scored the equaliser, a header from six yards to convert a cross from the right by Elanga.

Nottingham Forest’s Ryan Yates rises to nod in his side’s leveller in the FA Cup last-16 clash

Just minutes after his goal, Yates netted again but soon saw his effort ruled out by the referee

Callum Hudson-Odoi missed a number of chances to score the winning goal for Forest

Wood put his tracksuit top back on and returned to the bench for a few more minutes as his team continued to pour forward. Yates found the net with another header from close range but was just offside. Palmer pushed over a fierce drive by Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi clipped the bar with a curler from the edge of the box.

On rare occasions when Ipswich made it out of their own half, Hirst headed a difficult chance over and Jack Clarke poked a shot wide.

Liam Delap takes a tumble in the box under pressure from Morato but no penalty is awarded

A joyous Nuno Espirito Santo sprints onto the City Ground pitch after the shootout to celebrate yet another memorable moment in a special season for the Forest boss and his team

Wood finally came on in the 82nd minute and McKenna unleashed Delap in stoppage time, but they could not prevent the tie heading going into extra time.

Hudson Odoi went closest to scoring a winner in extra time with another delicious curling shot. This time it was narrowly wide. Wood headed a chance wide and Jota Silva dragged another effort wide.

Ipswich wanted a penalty when Delap carried the ball from inside his own half on the break to the edge of the Forest penalty area where he fell under a challenge from Morata. Referee Tony Harrington showed no interest in awarding a foul.

This was destined to be settled on penalties and Sels would be the hero again, as he was at Exeter.