Nottingham Forest managed to avoid a difficult situation in the FA Cup against 10-man Exeter, ultimately winning on penalties after a 2-2 draw at St James Park.
Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Elliot Anderson all converted their penalty kicks before Neco Williams sealed the victory with the final spot-kick late in the night.
Josh Magennis and Tony Yogane scored for League One Exeter, but Matz Sels saved Reece Cole's penalty and Angus MacDonald hit the crossbar as Forest came out on top with a 4-2 win.
As the third-placed team in the Premier League and the highest-ranked remaining team in the FA Cup, Forest will now face Ipswich at home in the fifth round.
Magennis netted twice for Exeter, extending his lead as the competition's top scorer with six goals, giving Exeter an early lead and then leveling the score at the beginning of the second half.
Ramon Sosa and Taiwo Awoniyi, who unfortunately had to leave the game on a stretcher in stoppage time, were key in turning the tide in Forest's favor.
Debutant Ed Turns of Exeter was shown a red card for a late challenge on Gibbs-White, reducing the home team to 10 men, although Forest needed extra time after Jota Silva's shot hit the crossbar.
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo chose to rest most of his regular starters following a training camp in Dubai, with Brazilian midfielder Danilo being the only player from the previous match against Brighton.
Despite the significant gap in rankings between the two teams, Exeter had hope after Plymouth's recent upset over Liverpool, and fans displayed optimism with a banner reading 'Together We Can Create History.'
Exeter took the lead early in the game through Magennis, and despite Forest's efforts to equalize, the Grecians managed to hold on until the penalty shootout.
While Exeter fought hard, Forest's quality eventually shone through, securing their spot in the next round of the FA Cup.