Manchester United loanee James Garner helped Nottingham Forest produce a big upset to knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were swept aside by the Championship side and didn’t even register a shot on target in the third-round clash at the City Ground.
An 83rd-minute strike by Lewis Grabban proved enough for Steve Cooper’s side to see off the Premier League outfit.
Garner played the full 90 minutes against the north London side and showed his class versus United’s rivals.
The 20-year-old finished the game with 41 touches, six ball recoveries, three clearances and two interceptions.
The England under-21 international also won three ground duels, completed two long balls and had one shot, according to SofaScore.
WhoScored gave Garner a rating of 7.27, which was only bettered by teammates Scott McKenna (7.31), Ryan Yates (7.58) and Djed Spence (7.93).
Following the giant killing against Arsenal, United’s academy graduate will get the opportunity to test himself against another Premier League side in the FA Cup fourth-round.
That’s because Forest have been drawn at home to host Leicester City for a place in the competition’s last-16.
Forest’s number 37 could well come up against the likes of Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi, if he is back from the African Cup of Nations, one of the Premier League’s best midfield pairings.
Cooper will be hoping the success in the illustrious cup competition will help get his side back on track in their quest to climb the Championship table.
After taking over from Chris Hughton in September, Cooper’s Forest went on a run which saw them lose just once in 15 games.
However, Forest have suffered back-to-back Championship defeats for the first time under Cooper and will be looking to bounce back when they travel to Millwall on Saturday.
Forest are currently ninth in the table, six points off the play-off places with a game in hand.
Reaction to James Garner’s performance against Arsenal
Garner also posted on Instagram after the game highlighting his delight in the big win.
Several of Garner’s current and former Manchester United teammates reacted to the post and sung his praises.
- Every former Man Utd player to play in MLS after Eric Bailly’s latest move
- Jason Wilcox has just shown why Amorim had to be sacked with pointed praise for Michael Carrick
- Newcastle’s £46m rejected bid proves that Man Utd have completed the best deal of the summer
- Michael Carrick might have provided a hint on Patrick Dorgu plans as transfer priority becomes clear
- Who is Tynan Thompson? Exciting Spurs wonderkid linked with move to Man Utd
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
