Elanga was on target against his former club.
Anthony Elanga sprinted 85 metres in just nine seconds to score against Manchester United.
Elanga practically ran the length of the pitch to open the scoring for Nottingham Forest, and he danced away from a mistimed Alejandro Garnacho challenge to find the bottom right corner.
The winger briefly appeared to consider celebrating but he opted against rubbing his goal in the face of his former club. Elanga was mobbed by his teammates, but he didn't celebrate out of respect to United, who he joined as a teenager before leaving in the summer of 2023.
It felt inevitable that Elanga would score against United. He's been in tremendous form this season and looked deadly concentrated as he got off the team coach to enter the City Ground.
Elanga's goal was excellent. Garnacho, Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui should have undoubtedly done better and prevented him from reaching the United penalty area, but Elanga had one thought in mind when he picked up the ball in his own half and he executed the finish in style.
Ruben Amorim was asked about Elanga in his pre-match press conference on Monday and there was a debate about whether United should have sold him in the build-up to Tuesday's clash.
Elanga is slowly becoming one of the most effective wingers in the Premier League, but he wouldn't have become the player he is without consistent starts, which he wasn't going to receive if he stayed at Old Trafford.
It was the right decision to sell Elanga, although his performances this season should make Ineos chiefs think twice about the potential sales of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.
Mainoo was absent from the squad again due to injury at the City Ground and Garnacho started in the right-hand side No.10 role. Both players' futures at United have become uncertain since Amorim's appointment, and there are questions about whether they fully work in his system.
Although Mainoo and Garnacho have been more convincing in United's first-team than Elanga ever was, he does feel like 'one who got away' after coming through the academy and leaving.
In his current form, Elanga would start for United and most supporters will now regret his departure. There was also a nice moment in the first half when the away section applauded Elanga as he lined up to take a corner and those fans must have muttered 'why did we let him go' amongst themselves.
While revisionism is rife in football, it does hurt supporters to see an academy graduate excel at another club, and there is the possibility of Mainoo or Garnacho doing that in the future.
Elanga has contributed six goals and nine assists for Nottingham Forest this term. He always had potential during his time at United, but Mainoo and Garnacho both have even higher ceilings and selling either of that pair this summer could look incredibly daft in just a few years' time.
The financial situation at United will be considered in the transfer window and the sale of academy graduates represents pure profit in the books, which could be decisive in the decision.
Garnacho had a poor game against Forest and Mainoo hasn't seemed to convince Amorim so far. That doesn't mean they won't become stars and nobody wants that to happen at a rival club.
United can stomach watching Elanga play brilliantly this season because selling him two years ago made sense. Would it really be logical to sell Garnacho or Mainoo, though? The jury is out.