Nottingham Forest continued their winning streak after the international break by beating Manchester United. The decisive goal was scored by former Red Devil Elanga of all people.
Nottingham Forest had won four competitive games in a row before the international break – the Tricky Trees are undoubtedly the high-flying team of this Premier League season. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo made just one change from the side that beat Brighton 4-3 on penalties in the FA Cup quarter-final: former United man Elanga came in for Dominguez, who was among the substitutes.
After wins against San Sebastian (4-1) and at Leicester (3-0), the visitors’ form was also on the up, although they still continue to fall short of their own expectations. Coach Ruben Amorim replaced Lindelöf, Eriksen, Höjlund (all on the bench) and Heaven (not in the squad) with Yoro, Casemiro, Dorgu and Zirkzee.
Elanga shocks ManUnited
The visitors seemed to get off to the better start at the City Ground, with Bruno Fernandes getting the first effort on target in the fourth minute. The subsequent corner should even lead directly to a goal – albeit on the opposite side. Elanga was unable to be stopped by Garnacho in the course of the counterattack and netted with a low shot in the fifth minute.
Nevertheless, the Red Devils remained in control of the game and had around 70 percent possession for long spells in the first half. However, the fact that neither Casemiro (13th) nor Diogo Dalot, who hit the bar (28th), were able to equalize with headers was typical of United’s luckless performance in the first half. Forest, meanwhile, only managed a few isolated attacks, which did not result in any significant opportunities.
Red Devils too inaccurate – Murillo prevents late equalizer
Despite striker Höjlund replacing Ugarte (46) after the break, United were unable to cause Forest’s defense any serious problems. With both sides repeatedly guilty of sloppy passing, promising opportunities remained largely in short supply, such as a shot on goal from Garnacho (58).
Forest continued to create little – a fact that was manageable given the Red Devils’ weak finishing. Mount, whose comeback after months of injury could at least be seen as a decent ray of hope, also missed from a promising position (80′).
Since Da Murillo prevented the equalizer in the seventh minute of stoppage time against Joker Maguire in the highest emergency, the Tricky Trees’ run continued even after the international break. Nottingham will next be in action on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) at Aston Villa, while the Red Devils will host ManCity in the Manchester derby the following day (5:30 p.m.).
