Forest’s ten men hang on despite Stoke revival

STOKE manager Gary Rowett blasted Diogo Goncalves for a disgraceful challenge as his team were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Nottingham Forest. Forest’s Portuguese playmaker was dismissed on 77 minutes for a lunge at Tom Edwards but his Forest side withstood Stoke’s fightback from 3-0 down. Rowett said: ‘Both benches jumped up as though there was something unjust going on but when you watch the sending off back, it’s a disgraceful challenge. It’s a leg-breaker on Tom Edwards, who is 19 years old. It’s a really poor challenge.’ Forest boss Aitor Karanka added: ‘I haven’t seen it back yet but the fourth official was there and said it was really clear so I have to accept it.’ Karanka saw his side coast into a 3-0 lead after 50 minutes with a freak Ben Osborn goal — deflected from a block by goalkeeper Adam Federici — a fine strike from Daryl Murphy and a curling effort from Joe Lolley (above). But Stoke substitute Benik Afobe reduced the arrears and Goncalves’ dismissal sparked a late Stoke onslaught in which Saido Berahino scored a closerange tap-in then missed a free header from six yards. Rowett said: ‘It’s frustrating because we’ve got good players making poor decisions. I feel sorry for Saido because he got into a great position at the end but he has to score.’ Rowett’s side have won only three of his 11 games in charge. Karanka added: ‘We could have scored the fourth and fifth before they scored their first and we could have finished the game.’