Elanga Propels Nottingham Forest to Win Against Manchester United
Anthony Elanga's breakaway goal against his former club secured a 1-0 victory for Nottingham Forest over Manchester United in the Premier League on Tuesday. The Swedish forward departed Old Trafford two years ago to accommodate big-money signing...
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Anthony Elanga's breakaway goal against his former club secured a 1-0 victory for Nottingham Forest over Manchester United in the Premier League on Tuesday.
The Swedish forward departed Old Trafford two years ago to accommodate big-money signing Antony, and at the City Ground, he demonstrated he had something to prove, scoring the decisive goal just five minutes into the match after running two-thirds of the pitch.
In the first half, Diogo Dalot saw his header hit the crossbar, while substitute Mason Mount sent a late strike wide. However, the visitors, who were below par, once again struggled to find the necessary cutting edge to turn around their disappointing season.
This win allows Forest to maintain their impressive campaign, with Nuno Espirito Santo's team now eight points ahead of Chelsea in fourth place, while United's first league defeat in five matches leaves them languishing in 13th place in the standings.
"We controlled the game, but we already knew this team can score goals out of nothing," stated United's manager Ruben Amorim in a post-match interview with TNT Sports. "When they scored we changed the game a little bit from what they want. We tried with good opportunities, but in the last third, the last pass, the last assist wasn't there. Then if we don't have that, we cannot score goals."
Following their 3-2 victory at Old Trafford in December, Forest entered this match aiming to achieve their first league double over United since the 1991-92 season under Brian Clough.
They quickly took the lead as Elanga capitalized on some careless defending from United, marking the 23rd time this season that Forest scored the opening goal of a Premier League match—more than any other team.
In contrast, United find themselves struggling, having conceded the opening goal in more matches than all Premier League clubs aside from Leicester City in all competitions.
As the visitors continued to find it difficult to create significant chances, Amorim turned to Rasmus Hojlund for a second-half reshuffle; he had recently ended a 22-hour goal drought against Leicester.
Despite their efforts, United remained ineffective in attack. The late introduction of Harry Maguire added some height, and a stoppage-time effort was cleared off the line by Forest defender Murillo.
Forest managed to hold on with relative ease, edging closer to a return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in 45 years.
"Suffer, hard work, believe, helping each other, clearance on the line," Nuno commented after the match. "It was a very hard game for us. The records, the boys are breaking all of them and today the City Ground was part of the game."
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
The Swedish forward departed Old Trafford two years ago to accommodate big-money signing Antony, and at the City Ground, he demonstrated he had something to prove, scoring the decisive goal just five minutes into the match after running two-thirds of the pitch.
In the first half, Diogo Dalot saw his header hit the crossbar, while substitute Mason Mount sent a late strike wide. However, the visitors, who were below par, once again struggled to find the necessary cutting edge to turn around their disappointing season.
This win allows Forest to maintain their impressive campaign, with Nuno Espirito Santo's team now eight points ahead of Chelsea in fourth place, while United's first league defeat in five matches leaves them languishing in 13th place in the standings.
"We controlled the game, but we already knew this team can score goals out of nothing," stated United's manager Ruben Amorim in a post-match interview with TNT Sports. "When they scored we changed the game a little bit from what they want. We tried with good opportunities, but in the last third, the last pass, the last assist wasn't there. Then if we don't have that, we cannot score goals."
Following their 3-2 victory at Old Trafford in December, Forest entered this match aiming to achieve their first league double over United since the 1991-92 season under Brian Clough.
They quickly took the lead as Elanga capitalized on some careless defending from United, marking the 23rd time this season that Forest scored the opening goal of a Premier League match—more than any other team.
In contrast, United find themselves struggling, having conceded the opening goal in more matches than all Premier League clubs aside from Leicester City in all competitions.
As the visitors continued to find it difficult to create significant chances, Amorim turned to Rasmus Hojlund for a second-half reshuffle; he had recently ended a 22-hour goal drought against Leicester.
Despite their efforts, United remained ineffective in attack. The late introduction of Harry Maguire added some height, and a stoppage-time effort was cleared off the line by Forest defender Murillo.
Forest managed to hold on with relative ease, edging closer to a return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in 45 years.
"Suffer, hard work, believe, helping each other, clearance on the line," Nuno commented after the match. "It was a very hard game for us. The records, the boys are breaking all of them and today the City Ground was part of the game."
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
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