In a 29-year span, Nottingham Forest secured their initial Premier League triumph over Manchester United as Morgan Gibbs-White netted the decisive goal in the 82nd minute, casting a dismal conclusion to 2023 for Erik ten Hag’s team.
It appeared that Marcus Rashford had salvaged a draw for the away team, seizing an opportunity from a mistake by Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner 12 minutes before the final whistle, thereby ending his Premier League goal drought of over six hours.
However, after Turner made a crucial save to thwart Christian Eriksen’s attempt, Forest swiftly counter-attacked, and Morgan Gibbs-White delivered the decisive blow, capitalizing on a well-placed cut-back from former United forward Anthony Elanga.
Following a lackluster first half, Nicolas Dominguez broke the deadlock, securing the opening goal as new manager Nuno Espirito Santo guided Forest to consecutive victories, a feat achieved only once since their return to the top flight.
“What we are trying to do is to create an idea. The talent is there, so it’s the confidence to play,” said Forest manager Nuno, who replaced Steve Cooper earlier this month.
“It’s our responsibility in how we defend. But they have to believe in the idea. The spaces were there and it’s a credit to the players because we have only been here for 10 days and they are the ones really working very hard.”
It marked yet another challenging evening for Ten Hag, played out in the presence of Sir Dave Brailsford, who holds considerable influence over United’s on-field affairs following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a 25% stake in the club.
This defeat constituted United’s 14th setback in a dismal campaign, marking their highest number of losses before the conclusion of a calendar year since 1930-31.
With four defeats in December alone, United faces the prospect of finishing this round of matches in ninth place, holding just a three-point lead over Chelsea.
Another bad night for Antony
Ten Hag conveyed to Brailsford that he preferred to defer discussions until after the busy Christmas schedule, but he has acknowledged a sense of anticipation from INEOS about collaborating with him. These discussions are expected to take place in January, coinciding with a period when United has only a single Premier League fixture. However, the prospect of disrupting preparations ahead of a potentially challenging FA Cup third-round encounter against League One Wigan on January 8 raises a point for debate.
It is evident that one of the pressing issues for Brailsford and fellow INEOS representative Jean Claude-Blanc to address promptly is recruitment. A glaring illustration of United’s missteps in this area is evident in the case of Brazilian winger Antony. Sixteen months after Ten Hag advocated for Antony’s signing, United eventually secured the winger for a hefty £81 million, ranking him as their second-most expensive acquisition after Paul Pogba.
Seated side by side in the directors’ box, neither Brailsford nor Sir Alex Ferguson could have been contemplating that Antony’s recent performance justified the substantial fee paid for him. While the winger’s supporters argue that he is diligent and reliable in tracking back, the overall assessment remains a matter of scrutiny.
While it might be accurate, it overlooks the fact that there is a lack of tangible output from him.
Late in the first half, Rashford provided him with a chance to shoot inside the penalty area. However, as he deliberated on how to convert the position into a scoring opportunity, Forest defenders closed in, and the chance dissipated. Shortly thereafter, he seemed poised to take on his opponent at the touchline, but torn between going down the line or cutting inside, his indecision led to the ball going out for a throw-in.
His substitution by Amad Diallo in the 54th minute meant that Antony had not scored or assisted a goal in 21 consecutive appearances.
While Amad, who cost £19 million, did not do much to justify that relatively smaller fee either, it’s worth noting that the Ivorian youngster has just returned from a serious knee injury, so judgment on him should be tempered.
Agony to ecstasy for keeper Turner
The visible relief on Forest keeper Turner’s face at the final whistle couldn’t be ignored.
The United States international had a shaky start to the game, with a couple of errant passes causing trouble for the hosts as he sought to adhere to Nuno’s directive to play out from the back.
His tendency to misplace passes eventually proved costly, leading to Rashford’s celebratory equalizer where the responsibility rested squarely on his shoulders.
However, anguish quickly turned to relief for the former Arsenal man. His save from Eriksen initiated a counterattack that culminated in Gibbs-White delivering his second goal of the season with a powerful strike.
“At half-time the manager said we needed to be more aggressive with and without the ball,” Gibbs-White told BBC Sport.
“I am delighted to help the boys get the three points. I saw the space was there, stayed composed, breathed, and picked my spot. Thankfully it went in. I believe this club is really creating history.
“The only way now is forward, especially with the manager coming and the players believing and trusting in him.”
As Gibbs-White raced to celebrate with the Trent End faithful, at the other end of the field Turner was repeatedly punching the air.
He still had one more bit of work to do, repelling a deflected Bruno Fernandes effort as United pushed forward in desperation – and the ruffle of hair from Moussa Niakhate underlined he had earned a memorable reprieve.
“We had Morgan Gibbs-White [at Wolves] when he was 16 but now he is a different man and the credit must go to Steve Cooper, because I have found a different player,” added Nuno.
“He is mature. What we want from him is to be this guy we can rely on and to give him the ball because he is so talented.”