Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest. Carabao Cup Second Round.
St James' Park, NewcastleAttendance27,709.
Wednesday 23 August 2017 22:37, UK
Tyler Walker came off the bench to head Nottingham Forest into the third round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-2 extra-time victory at Premier League side Newcastle.
The substitute struck from close range eight minutes into the extra half-hour to settle a topsy-turvy tie which will have done little to quell unrest on Tyneside.
Aleksandar Mitrovic had fired Rafael Benitez's still winless men in front, but it took a fine strike by Rolando Aarons to level after Jason Cummings' quick-fire double.
A Newcastle side featuring 10 changes to the one which lost 1-0 in the Premier League at Huddersfield on Sunday could hardly have got off to a better start when Aarons squared for Mitrovic to finish with an emphatic swing of his right boot within three minutes.
Mohamed Diame went only just high with an audacious attempt from 45 yards six minutes later and with Aarons causing all kinds of problems, the locals settled down in anticipation of a welcome victory.
But Forest were not prepared to accept that fate and, with Cummings and Ben Brereton repeatedly troubling a statuesque Magpies defence, there was an inevitability about what transpired.
Cummings was completely unmarked when he headed home Zach Clough's 29th-minute cross.
He then left central defenders Chancel Mbemba and Grant Hanley in his wake to latch onto Danny Fox's long ball and lob advancing keeper Karl Darlow.
Aarons restored parity with a stunning right-footed drive in first-half stoppage time, and it took a decent one-handed save by Jordan Smith to deny summer signing Jacob Murphy seven minutes after the restart.
Murphy wasted a fine 57th-minute run with a wayward shot and passed up another opportunity 12 minutes from time after Mitrovic had robbed defender Joe Worrall.
Substitute Matt Ritchie went agonisingly close to an 89th-minute winner with a curling effort, but Cummings almost won it at the other end seconds later when he rattled the crossbar with a free-kick.
But Forest did snatch victory when Walker glanced fellow substitute Jack Hobbs' 98th-minute header past Darlow from close range.