Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina has emerged as the most prolific dribbler across this weekend’s FA Cup fixtures following their dramatic quarter-final victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
According to football statistics provider, WhoScored, the Nigerian international completed five successful dribbles — more than any other player in the quarter-finals — during Forest’s 4-3 penalty shootout triumph at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
His impressive display saw him outperform some of the Premier League’s most renowned dribblers, including Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, and Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey.
Aina attempted seven dribbles, completing five. In contrast, Manchester City’s De Bruyne and Silva managed just one each during their 2-1 comeback win against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Crystal Palace’s dynamic attacking duo, Eze and Ismaila Sarr, surprisingly failed to complete a single dribble in their team’s 3-0 win over Fulham. Meanwhile, Fulham’s Nigerian playmaker Alex Iwobi was successful with one dribble in the defeat.
The 27-year-old registered five clearances, won eight of his 14 ground duels and made two crucial tackles to help his side keep Brighton at bay for 120 minutes before prevailing on penalties.
Aina’s exceptional performance also earned him a place in WhoScored’s FA Cup Team of the Round.
The WhoScored best XI of the quarter-finals was dominated by Aston Villa, who had four players included, while Crystal Palace contributed three.
Aina was selected in a four-man defence alongside Nikola Milenkovic (Nottingham Forest), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), and Brighton’s Pervis Estupiñán.
Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Ramsey were named in midfield, joined by Palace’s Eze. Rashford, who received the highest individual rating of 8.99, led the attack alongside Rogers and Ramsey. Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was selected as the goalkeeper.
Nottingham Forest with the win over Brighton reached their first FA Cup semi-final in 34 years. With a place in the final at stake, Aina and his teammates now prepare for a high-stakes showdown against Manchester City at Wembley.