Nottingham Forest's quest for Champions League football continued as they beat Manchester United 1-0 at the City Ground on Tuesday night. A goal from Anthony Elanga just four minutes into the game was all it took for Nuno Espirito Santo's side to snag all three points, but it was a disappointing evening for Ruben Amorim.
Former United man Elanga wasted little time giving Forest the lead against his old club. Having picked up the ball inside his own half in the fourth minute, he drove across the pitch in a matter of seconds before he slotted the ball past a helpless Andre Onana. From there, the Red Devils stepped up a little, but couldn't find a way past Matz Sels throughout the remainder of the first half.
The second half was more of the same, with United dominating possession and conjuring the majority of the chances, but Forest held on and a goal-line clearance from Murillo in the final seconds of the game ensured the home team took all three points and sent the Red Devils back to Manchester empty-handed.
Nottingham Forest Statistics Manchester United
2 Shots on target 6
4 Shots off target 10
32 Possession (%) 68
3 Corners 10
5 Fouls 12
1 Yellow cards 3
Match Highlights and Goals
Nottingham Forest Player Ratings
Nottingham Forest
Matz Sels - 7/10
Has been one of Forest's best players this season and that continued against United. Stood tall to deny the Red Devils on a number of occasions.
Ola Aina - 6/10
Had very little to do before he was forced off with an injury in the first half.
Nikola Milenkovic - 7/10
Dealt with United pressure well and dominated aerially as he so often does. Clashed with Gibbs-White late on, but moved on pretty quickly.
Murillo - 8/10
Another solid outing at the back for the Brazilian. Dealt with United's forwards with relative ease. A superb goal-line clearance with just seconds left in the contest ensured his side snagged all three points.
Neco Williams - 7/10
Did an excellent job holding United's forwards at bay and limiting the number of chances they could create down the flank.
Ryan Yates - 8/10
Pulled strings nicely in the middle of the park and did a fine job keeping Bruno Fernandes quiet. Made a crucial challenge late in the contest to prevent United getting on the scoresheet.
Anthony Elanga - 8/10 (Player of the match)
Wasted no time opening the scoring against his former team with an amazing solo effort that started in his own half. The majority of play came down his side and it's easy to see why his performance had United fans raging online.
Morgan Gibbs-White - 6/10
Was kept fairly quiet throughout and squandered his first real opportunity on goal in the 51st minute of the match. Ended up clashing with his own teammate, Milenkovic, late in the contest after a defensive mix-up saw United almost level things up.
Elliot Anderson - 6/10
Battled in the midfield nicely and put in a fine shift for his side. Replaced shortly after the hour mark, but earned his rest.
Danilo Oliveira - 6/10
Had a quiet evening before he was replaced in the 40th minute as Espirito Santo looked to make a tactical tweak.
Taiwo Awoniyi - 5/10
Was absent for large spells of the contest and never really put the United defenders under any sort of pressure.
Alex Moreno - 6/10
Replaced Aina in the first half, but had very little to do
Morato - 6/10
Brought on earlier than he likely expected with Espirito Santo introducing him in the first half as a result of a tactical change and it proved effective. He was solid throughout and rarely put a foot wrong.
Ibrahim Sangare - N/A
Brought on with just minutes remaining and didn't have chance to do much of note.
Ramon Sosa - N/A
Wasn't given time to make much of a difference as he was introduced with less than five minutes remaining.
Nico Dominguez - 6/10
Introduced in the second half as Forest looked to hold on to their lead and helped get them over the line.
Manchester United Player Ratings
Manchester UnitedAndre Onana - 5/10
Conceded from the first shot he faced and then had very little to do in the remainder of the first half. Pulled out a magnificent save after the restart to deny Yates. Admittedly, it wouldn't have counted anyway, as the Forest man was offside, but it was still a superb save.
Leny Yoro - 6/10
The defender wasn't asked to do too much on the right, but stood up to the test whenever he was required, including with a wonderfully timed challenge on Elanga to prevent the forward doubling Forest's lead.
Matthijs de Ligt - 6/10
Was a rock in the middle for the most part. Made a number of crucial clearances to keep United in the game.
Noussair Mazraoui - 5/10
Struggled to contain Elanga at times. Was run all over by the former United man if truth be told.
Diogo Dalot - 6/10
One of the star's better performances this season. Did a solid job down the right and got into some encouraging areas, but nothing ultimately came of it.
Casemiro - 5/10
Struggled to take control of the midfield against Forest and picked up a yellow card for a rough challenge in the second half. Was eventually replaced by Christian Eriksen.
Manuel Ugarte - 5/10
Acted as a passenger in the first half, contributing very little for United and he was dragged off at half-time for Rasmus Hojlund as Amorim looked to find a way back into the game.
Patrick Dorgu - 5/10
Like Mazraoui, he struggled at times to keep up with Elanga as the former United man dominated down the right flank. Was also clumsy in possession, giving the ball away in crucial areas on more than one occasions.
Bruno Fernandes - 7/10
Tested Sels in the Forest goal on multiple occasions. Was the only United man who looked capable of creating something throughout the majority of the contest.
Alejandro Garnacho - 6/10
Struggled to offer much of a threat for United and will feel he could have done more for his side. A frustrating evening in truth for the Argentine.
Joshua Zirkzee - 4/10
Had a very quiet night leading the front line for United and never looked like getting onto the scoresheet.
Rasmus Hojlund - 5/10
Brought on to spark life into United's attack at half-time, but it didn't make much of a difference and he was rarely involved in proceedings.
Christian Eriksen - 6/10
Replaced Casemiro as United tried to get something from the game. He didn't make much of a difference, though.
Mason Mount - N/A
The former Chelsea man was introduced with just over 10 minutes remaining and didn't really have time to do anything of note.
Harry Maguire - 7/10
Made his long-awaited return from injury and was slotted up front as United searched for an equaliser. Was effective and almost equalised in the closing stages, but his effort was cleared off the line by Murillo.
All statistics courtesy of SofaScore and accurate as of 01/04/2025