Manchester United comfortably got victory over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford in the Premier League action
Date/Time : Monday 26 December, 21:00 CET
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Manchester United moved within one point of the top four in the Premier League table thanks to a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford took the lead in the 19th minute before setting up Anthony Martial to put Forest on the mountain in the 22nd minute.
Manchester United then added to the excitement of scoring in the closing stages when Fred volleyed into the back of the net with a neat finish after some great work from Casemiro.
The result leaves Eric Ten Haag’s side in fifth place, a point behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have played one game more than the 20-time English champions.
Meanwhile, Forest remain in 19th place with 13 points, with Steve Cooper’s side a point behind 17th-placed Everton, who lost at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Luke Shaw was at the heart of Manchester United’s defense when Raphael Varane returned, while Lisandro Martinez was not yet ready to return after his World Cup campaign with Argentina, while Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire were out for good. , despite being named last on the team.
The first real chance of the contest came in the fifth minute when Aaron Van-Bissaka found Rashford at the far post; The England international’s shot was blocked into the path of Tyrell Malassi, who saw his effort deflected off the post by Wayne Hennessey between the Forest posts.
The incessant rain made the pitch extremely fast and Manchester United certainly took advantage of the pitch, moving the ball across the lines quickly.
The home side broke through in the 19th minute when Christian Eriksen cleverly sent a corner kick to Rashford, who hit the back of the net with a powerful shot from inside the area.
The Red Devils then doubled their lead in the 22nd minute when Rashford set up Martial, who was able to save with a low shot despite Hennessy getting a hand to the ball.
David de Gea had to cross to save a long-range effort from Yates in the 32nd minute, but Forest struggled to cope at Old Trafford and Man United were clearly the better side in the first half.
Forest thought they had made it 2-1 just before the break when Willie Boley scored from close range after Yates headed a free-kick past his teammate, but the goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR review.
The incident seemed to lift the spirits of the visitors, who continued to fire high into the Man United penalty area, but the hosts went into half-time with a full two-goal lead.
Orel Mangala broke the deadlock for Man United early in the second half before Antony made a smart save from Hennessy after Bruno Fernandes found him in the area.
Then Hennessy caught Martial just before the hour mark; In the next round, both coaches made changes, and Donny van de Beek and Alejandro Garnacho entered the home team.
Rashford came close to denying Hennessy in the 67th minute before De Gea did well to save Brennan Johnson’s close-range shot across the area.
Hennessy headed Casemiro’s shot over the bar in the 72nd minute before Van de Beek made a save from behind in a lively moment and fired the ball into the corner.
Maguire and Fred were next off the Man United bench in the 77th minute, with the latter completing the scoring in the 87th minute when he cleverly rounded the bottom corner after great work from Casemiro.
The Red Devils next game is away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 31, while Forest will look to get back to winning ways when they host Chelsea on New Year’s Day.
Lineups:
Manchester United:
David De Gea, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial (Donny van de Beek 65’), Marcus Rashford (Anthony Elanga 86′), Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen (Fred 77′), Casemiro, Raphaël Varane (Harry Maguire 77′), Antony (Alejandro Garnacho 65’), Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Substitutes not used : Tom Heaton, Brandon Williams, Zidane Iqbal, Rhys Bennett
Nottingham Forest:
Wayne Hennessey, Joe Worrall (C), Orel Mangala (Emmanuel Dennis 62’), Serge Aurier (Neco Williams 75′), Taiwo Awoniyi (Sam Surridge 62’), Jesse Lingard (Lewis O’Brien 53’), Renan Lodi (Harry Toffolo 62’), Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates, Remo Freuler, Willy Boly
Substitutes not used : Jordan Smith, Scott McKenna, Steve Cook, Jack Colback
Scorers:
Manchester United
19′ Marcus Rashford
22′ Anthony Martial
87′ Fred
Bookings:
Manchester United
Tyrell Malacia
Christian Eriksen
Alejandro Garnacho
Orel Mangala
Man of the Match : Marcus Rashford (Man. United)
Match Stats:
