How to sum up a draw that should have been a win but was very nearly a defeat? Where to even start?
At the end of a tiring week, Nottingham Forest will accept the point against Stoke City, knowing they showed a steely never-say-die attitude to get it. It can still be a big one in the grand scheme of the season.
But there will also be plenty of frustration - at the visitors’ equaliser, at the red card and at not imposing themselves on a scrappy match in the manner they would have liked. Frustration, too, at the referee, who did not help matters.
The Reds were far from at their best; they looked leggy. Maybe a few more team changes could have been beneficial, on the back of the exertions against Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers.
Nevertheless, that they managed to get something at the City Ground says a lot about the strength of character which has been a key feature of this campaign.
Moment of madness
Brice Samba is a goalkeeper who plays on the edge. He has a bit of needle in his game.
It is a fine line to tread, though. And on Saturday, he crossed it.
The same personality traits which make him a fans’ favourite when he winds up opposition players and supporters, can just as easily count against him.
He might argue a straight red card was harsh for swotting Phil Jagielka around the back of the head, given the Potters defender had barged into him and seemed to make quite a meal of the incident.
But there was absolutely no need for Samba to lash out in the first place and give Leigh Doughty a decision to make.
It was a horrendous lapse in judgement. A huge error and a silly moment, as Cooper - who had no complaints about the sending off - called it.
Not only did it leave his teammates with an uphill battle against Stoke, it also means they will be without their first-choice stopper for some important matches coming up. Starting with Bournemouth away on Friday night.
Samba is a very good goalkeeper, he’s dug Forest out of plenty of holes before, and he will do again. He’d actually played well up until that gaffe in the 85th minute.
Dampening the fiery side of him would take away what makes him who he is. But a rush of blood to the head which manifests itself like that (just as with the decision which allowed Leicester to score in the FA Cup) has consequences.
It didn’t cost the Reds as much as it might have done, but it’s something he needs to learn from. He can't afford for that to happen again, especially as the fixtures only go up in magnitude as we head towards May.
Captain marvel
Playing with broken ribs, making diving headed tackles, donning the goalkeeper gloves. You could ask Joe Worrall to run through a brick wall against the Cherries next week and he’d probably do it.
He is the very epitome of guts, courage and commitment to the cause.
The defender had been left with his head in his hands as he watched Samba being handed his marching orders. But almost straight away, he shouldered the responsibility of replacing his teammate between the posts. It was a great display of team ethic.
With all three substitutions having been made, there was no chance of bringing on back-up keeper Ethan Horvath. It left Worrall having to face the subsequent penalty from Lewis Baker.
He didn’t have much chance with it, but for the remaining minutes after that, he was steady. Forest’s very own Man of Steel.
Worrall posted a picture on social media showing himself as a youngster wearing a goalkeeper’s top in a team photo, alongside another one in action on Saturday night. He wrote, ‘how it started’ and ‘how it’s going’.
He’s a leader whether he has the captain’s armband or not. There’s no question he’s destined to wear it full-time in the long-term, though.
Dramatic equaliser
If ever there was a sign of the kind of season Ryan Yates is having, it is that he was missed while he watched on from the bench for 80-odd minutes.
The midfielder has been in brilliant form and has become a key figure for the Reds.
Jack Colback and James Garner both had decent games, but Forest could still have done with Yates helping to exert control in the middle of the park.
Trying to fit all three into the team is tough, unless one of them plays in a different role - as they each have done at different times this term. It’s one of the dilemmas Steve Cooper must grapple with most weeks.
Yates has shown how important he is, though. And he made his mark against the Potters.
Making the most of headed chances is something he’s been working on. He’s missed a few, but got one when it mattered to rescue a 2-2 draw.
Garner had actually gone close to the equaliser with the free-kick, with the ball cannoning off the woodwork. Scott McKenna was then on hand to send it back into the fray, with Yates then burying it into the back of the net.
One thing this Forest side won’t do is give up. They keep going until the end. And a draw was, overall, probably a fair result.
Top-six race
They will have wanted more, but that point - having gone behind, gone down to 10 men and being without their keeper - should be seen as a good one for Cooper’s side.
They dropped out of the play-off spots courtesy of results elsewhere, but they have already shown they are contenders.
Bournemouth away on Friday will be something of a litmus test. The Reds won’t go into it with any fear, and with no midweek game, they should be well rested and well prepared.
You could throw a blanket over a whole host of teams in the promotion mix, there’s so little to choose between them at the moment - just 13 points separating the second-placed Cherries from Preston North End, in 11th. It’s something of a skewed picture, though, given some teams have various amounts of games in hand.
But Saturday just emphasised Forest are very much up for the fight.
