It was quality over quantity as Anthony Elanga scored one of the goals of the season, against his former club no less, to hand Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at the City Ground on Tuesday.
WATCH – Nottingham Forest v Manchester United full match replay
Elanga scored after just five minutes, carrying the ball 70 yards from a failed Manchester United corner kick and sticking it in the bottom corner after splitting three defenders on his own, upping his tally to 6 goals (to go with 8 assists) in the Premier League this season.
The victory represents another massive step toward UEFA Champions League qualification for Forest (3rd place - 57 points), who are now 10 points clear of Newcastle in the race for the top-five, though the Magpies do have two games in hand now. With just eight Premier League games left to play, the Red Devils (13th - 37 points) are eight points off the top half of the table and exactly half of their 10 wins have come against the three sides all but mathematically destined for relegation. Even to someone who predicted, “It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” this is bad.
Is this the bottom? Probably not
What is even left to be said about Man United at this point? The rebuild required is so vast and runs so deep that it is unlikely (m)any from the first-team squad, let alone this manager (or perhaps the next one), will still be at the club when (if) they finally get “back on top.” Heck, Sir Jim Ratcliffe might just give up and move on to something else by then. Nothing could possibly highlight this point more than the midfield pairing of Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro, two players who only differ from one another by the 10 years that separate them, in front of a three-man backline equally devoid of pace to recover defensively and ability to bring the ball forward. That’s a whole lot of responsibility to put on [checks notes] Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu out wide. Can you believe it didn’t work? Sure, blame it on Amorim for his unwillingness to change tactics to better suit the squad if you want, but it’s not easy to win in the Premier League when you only have one or two genuine PL-caliber players (down from three or four before injuries hit).
Player ratings - Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United
What’s next?
- Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest — Saturday, 12:30 pm ET
- Manchester United vs Manchester City — Sunday, 11:30 am ET
Captain Ryan Yates, on Nottingham Forest’s season so far
“We’re having a great season. Obviously the past two seasons was just about staying up and keeping our head above water. We’ve got that momentum at the minute and the crowd was absolutely incredible.”
…
“Apparently I’ve got an assist for that [Elanga’s goal]! I headed it on the six-yard box! … He deserves it [the goal and Man of the Match]. It’s his work rate off the ball, that side of his game has come on no end. He’s just a dream for a midfielder, especially for us sitting in that mid-low block on the transition. You can just give him the ball and he does the rest.”
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United live updates - by Andy Edwards
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United final score: 1-0
Goalscorers: Anthony Elanga (5')
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man United: Elanga goes 70 yards against his former club (5')
ANTHONY ELANGA. SIMPLY STUNNING AGAINST HIS FORMER CLUB. 🔥
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 1, 2025
📺 Peacock | #NFOMUN pic.twitter.com/eu1OZbZz6c
Nottingham Forest starting lineup
Sels - Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams - Yates, Anderson, Gibbs-White - Elanga, Danilo, Awoniyi
Manchester United starting lineup
Onana - Yoro, De Ligt, Mazraoui - Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu - Garnacho, Fernandes, Zirkzee
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Tuesday (April 1)
Venue: City Ground — Nottingham
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Forest had a bit of a wobble in February but are hanging in there and are seven points ahead of sixth-place Newcastle with nine games to go. Before the break they won 4-2 at Ipswich Town to back up their big win at home against Manchester City as a run of three games unbeaten in the Premier League proved they are back on track. They also reached the FA Cup semifinals for the first time in 34 years as they won at Brighton on penalty kicks on Saturday in an exhausting encounter.
Manchester United also appear to be back as they’re four games unbeaten in the Premier League, as they won 3-0 at Leicester City before the break. Ruben Amorim’s side are also in the quarterfinals of the Europa League (they face Lyon) and although winning that competition is their best chance of qualifying for the Champions League, they still have a chance of reaching Europe in the Premier League but they’re 10 points off the top six with nine games to go.
Nottingham Forest team news, focus
Talismanic striker and top scorer Chris Wood was out for Forest’s FA Cup quarterfinal win at Brighton after he picked up a hip injury on international duty as he helped New Zealand qualify for the 2026 World Cup. He’s a doubt for this game, as Taiwo Awoniyi should start again in his place. Elanga, Hudson-Odoi and Gibbs-White cause so many problems with their direct style and Forest have been so solid defensively for most of this season. They’re so well-balanced and are ready to pounce on any mistakes from opponents.
QUESTIONABLE: Chris Wood (hip), Morgan Gibbs-White (leg)
Manchester United team news, focus
There is definitely better balance about United now and Amorim is slowly turning things around. All of that amidst plenty of injuries popping up is admirable but it’s clear all of the focus is on winning the Europa League. Having Bruno Fernandes in this kind of form (seven goals and three assists in his last seven games in all competitions) gives United a great chance of succeeding in that competition, while Garnacho and Hojlund have both come to life in recent games.
OUT: Ayden Heaven (leg - MORE), Amad Diallo (ankle - out for season), Luke Shaw (foot), Jonny Evans (lower back), Lisandro Martinez (torn ACL - MORE), , Kobbie Mainoo (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Altay Bayindir (undisclosed)
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United prediction
A draw feels about right in this game. Both teams prefer to counter and I think we will see some fine play in transition. Nottingham Forest 2-2 Manchester United.
