Manchester United thrash Nottingham Forest 2-0, move third in EPL
Antony and Diogo Dalot struck as injury-hit Manchester United moved up to third in the Premier League and extended relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest’s winless run.
Erik ten Hag’s men headed to the City Ground looking to bolster their top-four hopes before turning their attention to this week’s key Europa League and FA Cup clashes.
United impressed in a victory that was more one-sided and comprehensive than the 2-0 scoreline suggests.
The performance as much as the result will increase pressure on Forest boss Steve Cooper, whose embattled side are now without a win in 10 matches.
As for United, this victory meant they have beaten last season’s Premier League points tally with eight matches to spare.
It was a great response to Thursday’s chaotic and costly 2-2 draw against Sevilla, which saw Lisandro Martinez ruled out for the rest of the season and Raphael Varane the next few weeks.
Tyrell Malacia’s sore knee meant Ten Hag ended up making three defensive changes from that match and then midfielder Marcel Sabitzer – who scored twice on Thursday – pulled up in the warm-up.
Harry Maguire was among those who came in and he looked shaky in the first half, surviving a handball appeal, but United saw off Forest’s threat and took a 32nd-minute lead.
Antony bundled home his first Premier League goal since October after Anthony Martial’s initial effort was saved by Keylor Navas, who was on a one-man mission to keep Forest in the game.
The on-loan Paris St Germain goalkeeper tipped a thumping Bruno Fernandes effort onto the crossbar amid a number of great saves, only for Antony to put Dalot through to settle things.
United had been on top from the outset on the banks of the Trent, with Felipe producing a valuable block with his heel to deny Jadon Sancho after just 46 seconds.
The Forest defender then headed a testing Fernandes cross just over his own goal, but it was not complete one-way traffic.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka produced a block to stop a close-range attempt by Taiwo Awoniyi, whose tangle with Maguire three minutes into the match led to the enraged, bemused
