Manchester United fell to a 1-0 defeat away at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
While the visitors largely dominated proceedings from beginning to end, one dreadful lapse in concentration led to their downfall.
Four minutes in, Man United made their intention known when Bruno Fernandes let rip a thunderous shot from far range to force a save.
Just moments after the subsequent corner, disaster struck. United alumn Anthony Elanga picked the ball up inside his own half, sprinting through the defence and slotting the ball past Andre Onana into the back of the net. 1-0 to the hosts after just five minutes of play.
In the 13th minute, United were back on the attack, refusing to lose hope following Forest’s early opening goal. Casemiro got his head on the end of a corner kick, only for his effort the breeze wide.
The hosts almost caught United off guard yet again with a rapid counter, however, that time, Elanga was closed down by the defence.
Yet again, United appeared dangerous from a corner when Matthijs de Ligt hammered a close-range shot at the goal, forcing Matz Sels to parry.
Half an hour in, Casemiro threaded the ball to Alejandro Garnacho on the right, who laid it off to Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the box, whose effort was blocked by the goalkeeper yet again.
Minutes before the break, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo decided to make a double tactical change. Alex Moreno and Morato replaced Ola Aina and Danilo, signalling that the hosts had switched to a back five. Clearly, defence had become a priority for Forest.
As six minutes of stoppage time were announced, Morgan Gibbs-White swung in a threatening free-kick. Murillo thumped a looping header goalward, but Onana was well-placed to catch the shot.
On the stroke of half-time, United created an excellent build-up with Fernandes laying the ball off to Casemiro on the edge of the box. Despite having plenty of time and space on the ball, the Brazilian completely scuppered his chance by firing wide of the target.
Despite trailing, United actually produced a fine display apart from some poor shooting. In order to improve the team’s fortunes, manager Ruben Amorim simply needed to communicate to his team how they could improve their performance upon entering the final third.
Straight after the restart, United earned a corner, with Casemiro’s header forcing a save from an overworked Forest keeper.
Meanwhile, Amorim decided to take off Manuel Ugarte for Rasmus Hojlund, thus giving Fernandes the chance to drop into central midfield as Joshua Zirkzee shifted to the wing.
On the other end of the pitch, Ryan Yates sent a dangerous header goalwards to force an impressive save from Onana.
50 minutes in, Casemiro was booked for a sliding tackle on Yates. It was a poor lack of judgement from the midfielder who appeared to be losing his cool.
Eight minutes later, Garnacho fired wide in what was his latest in a series of poor shots. Meanwhile, Casemiro made way for Christian Eriksen.
The match then sparked to life with end-to-end action. Garnacho for on the end of a blistering attack, forcing a corner with his well-struck shot. The Argentine got on the end of the subsequent corner, only to blast his effort wide of the near post.
Neco Williams brought down Garnacho near the box, handing United a threatening free-kick. Fernandes whipped in a cross that found Hojlund’s head, but his shot bounced into the ground before being scooped up by Selz.
Hojlund did a good job of dribbling past two defenders in the box before passing back to Garnacho, whose shot was blocked soon after leaving his boot.
With little over 13 minutes to play, Eriksen was shown a yellow card for a mistimed challenge.
Mason Mount came on for Zirkzee, marking his return from injury. Soon after his arrival, he came close to equalising for United as his shot breezed inches past the far post.
With minutes to play, Amorim made a fascinating substitution. He brought on Harry Maguire in place of Leny Yoro, yet rather than dropping into his natural position at centre-back, he pushed up alongside Hojlund. Perhaps Amorim decided to use Maguire as a secondary striker given his aerial ability.
After six added minutes were confirmed, Patrick Dorgu set up Maguire with the exact opportunity he was brought on for. Dorgu sent a threatening cross into the box, only for Maguire to header the ball well wide.
At the death, Maguire took a shot that was cleared off the goal line, summing up what had been a frustrating night for United.
Despite a valiant performance from United, it just wasn’t to be as Forest held on for a narrow victory. Still, there were plenty of positives that Amorim could draw from the performance as he seeks to improve their fortunes as the season heads to its conclusion.
Starting XI: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Fernandes, Zirkzee, Dorgu, Yoro, Garnacho, Casemiro, Dalot, Ugarte
Subs: Hojlund, Eriksen, Mount, Maguire
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
