Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man Utd: Match report & 3 talking points as Forest continue Champions League march

Anthony Elanga's lightning-quick breakaway goal proved the difference at the City Ground as Nottingham Forest continued their march towards the Champions League by beating Manchester United 1-0.

Elanga's early strike thrust Forest into a position of comfort off the back of Saturday's 120-minute slog, but they required some heroic defending at the last to walk away with all three points.

Man Utd huffed and puffed for the duration without much reward, with their defeat leaving them 13th in the Premier League table. Third-place Forest, meanwhile, are now eight points clear of Chelsea and are starting to hear that iconic anthem in the distance.

How the game unfolded

Forest supporters started the contest with an ode to their first FA Cup semi-final berth since 1991, although the red-hot Bruno Fernandes came close to silencing a joyous home crowd in the opening stages.

The playmaker's excellent first touch set up a presentable opportunity from distance, and his effort was parried behind by Matz Sels. From the resulting corner, the home side took the lead. United's pouring of bodies forward left them vulnerable to the searing speed of Anthony Elanga, who carried the ball 85 metres in a little over nine seconds while evading challenges from Patrick Dorgu and Alejandro Garnacho, before finishing superbly on the edge of his former club's box with his left foot.

This is the game state Forest have thrived in this season, but United responded pretty well to falling behind. Their work in possession was slick for the most part, and Forest, for the remainder of the first half, only teased their destructive ability on the counter. The closest we came to a second goal in the opening period originated from the head of Diogo Dalot, who looped an effort onto the crossbar.

Nikola Milenkovic then denied Garnacho from bearing down on Sels' goal in first half stoppage time.

A shape change from Nuno Espirito Santo helped Forest, who started the second period the brighter. Andre Onana was drawn into a fine save from a Ryan Yates header, while Morgan Gibbs-White blazed over from a good position in the United box.

From then on, the contest was characterised by United 'threat' without any substance. Any half-chance was pounced upon by a resilient Forest defence, and Amorim eventually resorted to utilising the returning Harry Maguire as a target man.

A crossing barrage ensued in the closing stages, with Maguire heading wide from Patrick Dorgu's cross before forcing Murillo into a goal-line clearance with the last kick. They were asked to dig deep, but the hosts held firm to secure a big three points in their quest to qualify for the Champions League.

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Ruben Amorim's nightmare situation

Since Man Utd put their finishing touches on their 3-0 victory at Leicester 16 days ago, Amorim must've been tossing and turning thinking about how his side can shut Forest down on the breakaway.

His starting XI offered respect to the hosts' gifts on the counter as an extra midfielder was included, although the presence of a fossilising Casemiro in the middle of the park may have done little to ease fears of Forest running riot in transition.

Nevertheless, there was nothing the Brazilian could've done to prevent the nightmarish situation which unfolded five minutes in. Casemiro had committed to United's set-piece. He was out of the picture when Elanga received possession 85 metres from Andre Onana's goal. Forest have thrived in such scenarios this season and are the exact sequences Amorim would've emphasised on his players shutting down at source in the build-up to the game.

They couldn't. There were attempts, but Elanga's ball-carrying speed proved overwhelming. It was an incredible goal, and it left United with a mountain to climb.

Alejandro Garnacho typifies Man Utd woes

In fairness, Man Utd must've expected to fall behind on Tuesday. This was the 23rd time Forest have scored the first goal in a Premier League game this season - by far the most in the division.

Elanga's early strike meant United had just the 85 minutes to respond, but they succumbed to a state of huffing and puffing against this resilient Forest defence.

Alejandro Garnacho impressed at Leicester before the international break and kept his place in the starting XI on Tuesday, but it was a night of false dawns for the Argentine. He was woeful in the opening period as United struggled to execute the final action after efficiently working their way up the pitch.

After fitting a square peg in a round hole from the right half-space, a change in tack from Amorim saw Garnacho drift over to the left in the second half, where his threat doubtlessly increased. There were bursts in behind which tested the Forest backline, and moments when the winger cut inside onto his stronger right foot, but his efforts were either blocked by a determined defender or inaccurate.

It was a mightily inefficient display from Garnacho, who best encapsulated United's attacking effort as a whole. They didn't look like scoring until Amorim went route one by deploying Maguire as an agent of chaos in the Forest box.

Forest forced to dig deep

This is what they do. The early goal was ideal, and an uninspiring United attack meant the effects of a 120-minute slog at the weekend didn't come to the fore.

Their threat was minimal for the most part after taking the lead, but Forest's capacity to win duels and disrupt in the middle of the park, combined with an innate sense of spoiling the game's flow meant rarely did they feel 'under the cosh'. Whenever a yard of space was worked in the final third by United, the Forest backline threw themselves at the resulting effort. Crosses were dealt with superbly until Maguire entered proceedings.

Murillo's intervention at the death epitomised their resolve, with the Brazilian's work aiding Matz Sels' pursuit of the Golden Glove. This was their eighth home clean sheet this season, with another shut-out edging them closer to the promised land.

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