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28 November, 1990

Clough hat-trick in Coventry 5-4 defeat

On this day in 1990 Forest lose 5–4 at Coventry City despite Nigel Clough’s rapid League Cup hat-trick.

Iconic match memories

Comeback or dramatic turnaround
Hat-trick hero Nigel Clough, pictured 2009.
Hat-trick hero Nigel Clough, pictured 2009. Image: Chris Barnes / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nottingham Forest’s League Cup defence ended in a remarkable 5–4 defeat to Coventry City at Highfield Road, despite a rapid Nigel Clough hat-trick.

Forest were in serious trouble when Coventry raced into a 4–0 lead with Kevin Gallacher scoring three, leaving Brian Clough’s team facing a heavy cup defeat before the interval.

Hat-trick hero Nigel Clough, pictured 2009.
Hat-trick hero Nigel Clough, pictured 2009. Image: Chris Barnes / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Then Nigel Clough dragged Forest back into the tie with a rapid first-half hat-trick. The comeback changed the mood of the match completely, and Garry Parker made it 4–4 after the break to put Forest within reach of an extraordinary turnaround.

Coventry though had the final word. Livingstone scored again to make it 5–4, ending Forest’s hopes of a third straight League Cup triumph after wins in 1989 and 1990.

For Forest supporters, the match remains painful but unforgettable: a cup exit, a nine-goal thriller, and one of the strangest losing hat-tricks in the club’s modern history.

Goal Footage

Sources

EFL; Coventry Telegraph; Coventry City season records

Forest timeline

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