Nottingham Forest vs Man Utd LIVE: Anthony Elanga’s goal secures three points in Premier League clash
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man Utd: Nuno Espirito Santo’s side maintain their grip on third place
Nottingham Forest can believe that securing Champions League football is a realistic goal for this season after a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on the Premier League’s return.
The hosts struck early in the game through Anthony Elanga, the former Man Utd winger, who broke clear in the opening minutes and scored from a counter-attack. He shrugged off Alejandro Garnacho, cut inside of Noussair Mazraoui then slotted the ball home.
From there, Ruben Amorim’s men actually impressed as the searched for an equaliser but they lacked a cutting edge in the final third which has been a recurring theme of their season.
At the depth, with Forest managing the game well, Harry Maguire was introduced as a target man and almost stole an equaliser but Murillo denied him with a goalline clearance. Forest maintain their grip on third place and move one step closer to Europe’s top competition.
Relive the action from The City Ground with our live blog below:
Back-to-back home wins?
Nottingham Forest are also looking to win consecutive home league games against the Red Devils for the first time since the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.
They ended a run of seven games without a victory at the City Ground last season.
Can Forest do the double?
Nottingham Forest are looking to complete their first league double over Manchester United since the 1991-92 campaign under Brian Clough.
In the reverse fixture they defeated United 2-3 at Old Trafford back in early December.
Nottingham Forest’s fairytale season continues with penalty shootout triumph at Brighton
Matz Sels was Nottingham Forest’s penalty hero yet again as they reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 34 years.
The Belgian goalkeeper saved spot-kicks from Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez as Forest beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-3 on penalties after a largely dismal goalless draw at the Amex Stadium.
Sels had previously made crucial saves in the shoot-outs against Exeter and Ipswich in the previous two rounds.
Nottingham Forest’s fairytale season continues with shootout triumph at Brighton
Will Man Utd's loan players return?
Marcus Rashford and Antony have been sent out on loan and are excelling for their new clubs.
Ruben Amorim was asked whether the two players will return at the end of the season or if their loans will be made permanent.
He replied: “I know Rashford really well and everybody knows the talent that he has. So I already spoke about that. He’s a top player, if he wants. So I'm not surprised.
“And like I said, it's the same with Antony, it's a good thing. We see our players doing well on loan in a different context. That can happen and it's a good sign for the club.”
Forest hit record revenues
Nottingham Forest have generated £100m from player sales meaning they have recorded a profit for the latest set of accounts.
However, before tax that is a profit of £12.1m after interest and the £100m from transfers - described as “profit on disposal of players”.
Those figures compare to a £59.6m operating loss for the previous year.
Forest also had record revenues of £189.6m up from £154.8m in 2023.
Morgan Gibbs-White to be assessed
Morgan Gibbs-White will be assessed to see if he is able to feature in tonight’s match after a heavy collision with the post during the weekend’s FA Cup win over Brighton.
"We are going to assess him," said Nuno Espirito Santo. "He had a big contact against the post. His leg was not okay and he was struggling."
How possession became a dangerous game in the Premier League
Possession is defined as “having, owning or controlling” and perhaps that last word best sums up the philosophy in football: if you have possession, you have control. “Maybe one day they will change the rules,” Pep Guardiola once said with a smile. “But I think to score a goal you need the ball.”
Yet in the Premier League this season there is growing evidence that the teams who really have control are the ones without the ball. They are the ones lulling their opponents into a false sense of security, who can pickpocket at any moment, who can turn a tackle on the halfway line into a shot on target in seconds.
How possession became a dangerous game in the Premier League
Will Chris wood be available?
Forest host Manchester United tonight but asked if Chris Wood could be available, Nuno said: “I cannot answer that.
“I don’t know, I’m not sure. It is going to be day by day.”
Chris Wood ‘not good’ after picking up hip injury
Nottingham Forest’s manager Nuno Espirito Santo provided a gloomy injury update on top scorer Chris Wood.
The Reds were without Wood on Saturday when they beat Brighton on penalties to reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 34 years.
The striker suffered a hip injury on international duty with New Zealand, and the boss said his condition is “not good”.
“Let’s wait and see,” he added. “It is going to be day by day we have to assess him.
“It is all about the pain he has. It was a big impact on his hip and it is very painful.
“We have to assess him. We are gutted that Chris was not here with us.”
Amorim on importance of Bruno Fernandes
“I think he’s so important for this team,” Amorim said of his capatin. “And you can see it by the numbers, and you can see from these last games, he’s always the guy that scores.
“It’s not the most important thing, it’s not the only thing, but he’s always there.
“When you play for this team, you have to be prepared for the critics and I understand that former players had a lot of success here and the standards for them were so high that they see the things like that sometimes as black and white.
“In life sometimes it’s not just black and white, there is some other colours and you have to understand the context.
“Again, he’s always there, trying his best, so I’m really proud to coach a player like him.”
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