Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga (R) scored the winner in opposition to Manchester United (Paul ELLIS)
Nottingham Forest moved a step nearer to qualifying for the Champions League as Anthony Elanga’s very good solo aim sealed a 1-0 win in opposition to Manchester United on Tuesday.
Elanga returned to hang-out his former membership with a blinding effort that took the winger over half the size of the pitch earlier than he delivered a medical end.
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The 22-year-old Swede was offered by United for £15 million ($19 million) in 2023 after being deemed surplus to necessities by then supervisor Erik ten Hag.
Forest have been the beneficiaries of that mistake and Elanga’s beautiful strike on the Metropolis Floor helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s aspect cement their grip on third place.
Sitting eight factors away from fourth-placed Chelsea, who face Tottenham on Thursday, with eight video games left, Forest are inside touching distance of reaching the Champions League for the primary time since 1980-81.
Only a 12 months after battling to narrowly keep away from relegation, Forest are having fun with an surprising fairytale season that additionally consists of progressing to the FA Cup semi-finals for the primary time in 34 years.
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Though his gamers have been drained by Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Brighton, which they received on penalties after extra-time, Nuno mentioned Forest would undertake a “no excuses” coverage in opposition to United.
Regardless of the absences of main scorer Chris Wooden and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, Forest rose to Nuno’s problem.
Forest have accomplished their first league double over United since 1991-92.
The final time they averted defeat in opposition to the Outdated Trafford membership twice within the league in a single season was 1994-95, after they completed third.
It was a primary defeat in eight video games in all competitions for United, who nonetheless have not received successive league matches this time period.
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United received at Leicester of their final sport earlier than the worldwide break — their second consecutive victory after beating Actual Sociedad 4-1 within the Europa League.
However they reverted to the spluttering type that has pissed off Ruben Amorim since his arrival in November, leaving them languishing in thirteenth place forward of Sunday’s conflict with Manchester Metropolis.
– Dream season –
In a raucous environment by the banks of the River Trent, Elanga raised the decibel stage even louder together with his memorable strike within the fifth minute.
When United didn’t profit from a nook, Elanga seized possession deep inside his personal half and launched a blistering break, masking 85 metres in simply 9 seconds.
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With United’s under-manned defence fatally backing off too lengthy, Elanga shrugged off Alejandro Garnacho’s deal with, superior to the sting of the world and drilled a high quality low end previous Andre Onana.
Solely lowly Leicester have conceded the opening aim extra usually than United amongst Premier League sides this season.
Amorim’s males nearly mounted a direct response by way of Bruno Fernandes, however his header from Diogo Dalot’s pin-point cross was straight at Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Casemiro wasted a good higher probability to equalise when the Brazilian headed vast from Fernandes’ nook.
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Dalot was inches away from hauling United stage, the defender assembly a nook with a looping header that hit the bar and fell to Matthijs de Ligt, whose try from the rebound was saved by Sels.
Amorim despatched on Rasmus Hojlund at half-time, however the much-maligned striker did little to enhance United’s leading edge.
Garnacho carried extra menace, curling simply over from lengthy vary after which smashing a 25-yard blast previous the submit.
On his first United look in 2025, injury-plagued Mason Mount fired narrowly vast earlier than Harry Maguire’s close-range effort was cleared off the road by Murillo as Forest celebrated one other memorable second of their dream season.
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