Anthony Elanga struck a superb individual goal against his former club as Nottingham Forest beat Manchester United 1-0 at the City Ground.
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Fresh from booking their place in the FA Cup semi-finals with a penalty shoot-out victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, Nuno Espirito Santo's men took another big step towards qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
It was a trademark counter-attacking goal that decided the contest, with Elanga running 85 yards from deep inside his own half before tucking home after only five minutes.
Ruben Amorim's Red Devils applied plenty of pressure thereafter but could not find an equaliser, with Harry Maguire squandering two glorious chances late on.
Man Utd remain in 13th spot, while the victory takes third-placed Nottingham Forest eight points clear of Chelsea and nine above Manchester City ahead of their matches later this week.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
30 | +43 | 73 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
30 | +30 | 61 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
30 | +15 | 57 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
30 | +17 | 52 |
How the match unfolded
Matz Sels pushed a long-range effort from Bruno Fernandes wide early on and Nottingham Forest then hit the front with a devastating counter-attack from the resulting corner.
After Fernandes' cross was cleared, Elanga carried the ball from deep inside his own half before stroking into the bottom-right corner from the edge of United's area.
Casemiro nodded wide from a corner as Man Utd sought a response, with Diogo Dalot's glancing header then bouncing off the bar from another Fernandes set-piece.
Man Utd continued to press in the second half as another dead-ball delivery from Fernandes led to Casemiro working goalkeeper Sels, while Alejandro Garnacho failed to keep a 20-yard strike down.
Substitute Mason Mount curled wide but Amorim's side continued to struggle for clear-cut chances, eventually resorting to introducing Maguire as an auxiliary striker.
Two huge opportunities fell the way of the defender, who was unable to divert Patrick Dorgu's cross on target before forcing a heroic goal-line clearance from Murillo deep into stoppage time.
No Wood, no problem
Nottingham Forest have repeatedly made a mockery of suggestions their form will dip, but there must have been concern when talisman Chris Wood suffered a hip injury on international duty with New Zealand.
Although Taiwo Awoniyi came in to replace Nottingham Forest's 18-goal marksman on Tuesday, it was those flanking the Nigerian – Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White – that carried the greatest threat.
Rapid counters have embodied Forest's identity this season, and Elanga carried the ball an astonishing 85 metres for his opener, travelling from midway inside his own half to the United box.
The Sweden international somehow still had the composure to slot in his sixth Premier League goal this campaign, marking his most prolific season in the competition.
This was not a vintage performance – after edging ahead, Forest did not attempt another shot until first-half stoppage time. But even the loss of Ola Aina to injury did not shake their defensive resolve, with Nuno Espirito Santo seamlessly switching from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-3 formation.
Nottingham Forest got a slice of fortune when the woodwork thwarted Dalot, and they were indebted to Murillo for denying Maguire in the dying seconds, but for long periods, Man Utd were limited to hopeful long-range efforts.
Only five points separate fourth-place Chelsea from AFC Bournemouth in 10th, but Forest have every chance of pulling away from that pack, with or without Wood.
Amorim's changes not rewarded
The international break came at a frustrating time for Man Utd, who had followed up a 1-1 draw with Arsenal by thumping Real Sociedad 4-1 in the Europa League and beating Leicester City 3-0 in the Premier League.
The hiatus had allowed Amorim to recover injured centre-backs Leny Yoro and Maguire, with the former brought in as one of four changes to his starting XI.
But there was no place for Rasmus Hojlund despite the Dane ending a 21-match goal drought in all competitions by netting at Leicester last time out.
Hojlund's stint on the bench was brief, however, with Amorim sending him on as a half-time replacement for Manuel Ugarte after watching his team pile on the pressure without reward.
That change led to Fernandes adopting a deeper role, and his influence was reduced after the break even as Forest further conceded possession.
Man Utd's desperation was summed up by Maguire playing as a makeshift striker late on. His physicality caused some problems for Forest, but he was lacking the necessary composure when two big chances fell his way.
While Amorim may be content with the way his side controlled proceedings, they continue to be hamstrung by their attacking shortcomings ahead of Sunday's derby with Manchester City.
Club reports
Nottingham Forest report | Man Utd report
What the managers said
Nuno Espirito Santo: "Suffer, hard work, believe, helping each other, clearance on the line. It was a very hard game for us. I think the game was going away from us, we were not able to control and United were given too many situations. "
Ruben Amorim: "We controlled the game, but we already knew this team can score goals out of nothing. When they scored we changed the game a little bit from what they want. We tried with good opportunities, but in the last third, the last pass, the last assist wasn't there. Then if we don't have that we cannot score goals."
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Key facts
Man Utd suffered their 13th defeat of the season in the Premier League, their second-most in a campaign in the competition, one short of their record of 14 in 2023/24.
Nottingham Forest have kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, more than any other side, and their joint-most ever in a campaign in the competition (also 13 in 1994/95).
Along with Danny Welbeck, Forest’s Elanga was the second player to score a Premier League goal against United this season who has previously played for them in the competition. It's the third time two former Red Devils have scored against them in the same Premier League season, after 1997/98 (Hughes, Dublin) and 2020/21 (Zaha, Welbeck).
This was the 11th time that Nottingham Forest have won a Premier League match this season despite having 40 per cent or lower possession – the joint-most by a side on record in a season in the competition (from 2003/04), along with Brentford in 2022/23.