Nottingham Forest capitalized on a series of defensive mistakes from Manchester United to claim their first win at Old Trafford in almost 30 years.
Rasmus Højlund had equalized for United after Nikola Milenkovic’s early opener for Forest, but the home side could not respond after conceding twice in quick succession early in the second half.
Forest’s second goal came after United goalkeeper André Onana made a costly error. The Cameroon international appeared to set himself to make a low save to his right from Morgan Gibbs-White’s shot from the edge of the box, only for the ball to unexpectedly curve past him to his left.
Minutes later, a calamitous defensive mix-up led to Forest’s third. Onana and Matthijs de Ligt failed to deal with Chris Wood’s looping header, allowing the ball to bounce between them before finding the back of the net. Lisandro Martínez was also slow to react, and the ball ended up in the far corner of the net.
United skipper Bruno Fernandes pulled one back for the hosts just after the hour mark, but despite making five substitutions, Erik ten Hag’s side could not find the equalizer, suffering a second consecutive Premier League defeat following their midweek loss to Arsenal.
The defeat leaves Manchester United with just 19 points from 15 games, their lowest tally at this stage of a season since 1986-87. Forest, in contrast, rise to fifth in the table with a solid three points.
Wood’s goal not only sealed the victory for Forest but also made him their all-time Premier League top scorer, surpassing Bryan Roy with 25 goals in the competition. The New Zealand forward has been in excellent form under manager Nuno Espírito Santo, now with 21 goals in 31 Premier League appearances, including 13 in just 16 away matches.
Wood could have added to his tally earlier in the game, but he was caught off guard when a cross from Ola Aina reached him at the far post, and he stabbed wide. However, the 33-year-old forward has had an impressive season and remains one of the Premier League’s top scorers, with only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland ahead of him in the goalscoring race.
Defensive Errors Cost Manchester United as Nottingham Forest Secure Historic Win at Old Trafford
For Manchester United, major questions will be asked about their defense, with Onana, De Ligt, and Martínez all failing to deal with Wood’s header. The home side’s defensive frailty has been exposed again, following their two set-piece goals conceded to Arsenal earlier in the week.
From a United perspective, the result was sadly predictable. For Forest, however, it was a much-needed return to form following a patchy run of one win in four games. The traveling Forest fans celebrated wildly at the final whistle, delighted by the historic win.
The last time Forest won at Old Trafford was on December 17, 1994, when goals from Stan Collymore and Stuart Pearce secured a 2-0 victory.
After the optimism surrounding Ruben Amorim’s appointment as United’s head coach last month, the reality of the challenges ahead has become increasingly clear. Despite the errors that cost United dearly, Amorim will be disappointed with how easily Forest scored from their first set-piece of the game.
Manchester United had conceded two set-piece goals to Arsenal earlier in the week, and despite Amorim’s desire to improve on that, Forest’s opening goal came in almost identical fashion. A corner from Elliot Anderson was sent to the near post, where Milenkovic outmuscled Martínez and headed home with ease.
But it was Onana’s blunder on Gibbs-White’s shot that was the turning point. The keeper’s failure to read the shot left Forest in control, and the subsequent goal created a sense of panic in United’s defense. From that point on, the home side was chasing the game, with Martínez volleying their final chance wide in stoppage time.
For Manchester United, it’s back to the drawing board as they look to recover from another setback, while Forest’s win serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of the Premier League.
source – BBC
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