Man Utd finish 2023 in disarray – this horror show cannot continue much longer

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Looking on miserably from the directors’ box at the City Ground were two figures who represent Manchester United’s glorious past and their future. What would Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Dave Brailsford have made of this latest embarrassment of a performance, which only emphasised the mammoth task facing Sir Jim Ratcliffe ahead of 2024?
Brailsford is the man overseeing the audit for a rebuilding job under Ratcliffe, the new minority shareholder, and all the recent examples of mismanagement were clear to see here from haphazard recruitment, a failing manager and a non-existent midfield.
Ferguson once masterminded a 8-1 victory over Forest, which included four goals in 19 minutes from substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but the current crop of players look lost. Ten Hag is convinced that Ratcliffe’s Ineos group wants him to remain as manager, yet the pressure is building and this will not be allowed to continue for much longer.
Take nothing away from Nottingham Forest and their new head coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, who deserved victory and ended a run of four successive home defeats. Nuno’s impact has already been considerable since he replaced Steve Cooper and there is little chance of this team spending too long near the relegation zone.
In their match winner Morgan Gibbs-White, Forest have a player who is brimming with confidence and possesses star quality. United simply do not have a player like that at this wretched period in their recent history.
Nuno said: “We had Morgan [at Wolves] when he was 16 but now he is a different man and the credit must go to Steve [Cooper] because I find a different player. 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. He was amazing tonight and the position he plays is bringing the best out of him.”
Gibbs-White’s individual brilliance piled up the alarming statistics for Ten Hag, who is fighting for his future.
This defeat was United’s 14th in all competitions this season – the last time they lost more than 13 times before the turn of the year was in 1930-31. United are nine points off fourth place and now in danger of falling out of the top-seven.
Nobody epitomises the malaise more than Antony, the £85million signing who endured another anonymous evening before he was replaced early in the second half. He is without a goal or assist in 21 appearances for United in all competitions this season.
Ten Hag is yet to hold talks with the club’s incoming minority shareholders, but he certainly needs victories and some tangible signs of progress before that first meeting. Brailsford need only have glanced at the substitutes’ bench to wonder how United have got to a stage where they have so little strength in depth. It is erratic, substandard recruitment, and Brailsford’s in-tray will need a table of its own.
At least Ten Hag can look forward to the time next month when defenders Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire, plus midfielders Casemiro and Mason Mount, are expected to return from injury.
United were lightweight in attack and shaky in defence. They always appear vulnerable under pressure and the uncertainty at the back causes them to create their own problems. This was perfectly captured by an early mix-up in communication between goalkeeper Andre Onana and centre-back Raphael Varane which almost resulted in the opening goal.
Forest were the more threatening team, with Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga – the winger who United allowed to leave in the summer – at the heart of their best moments.
It has been a quietly effective start for Nuno, since he replaced Cooper last week. There were positive signs in the chaotic home defeat by Bournemouth but the victory at Newcastle on Boxing Day hinted at a bright future under the Portuguese. Forest had six shots on goal in the first-half but failed to register one on target.
Ten Hag introduced Scott McTominay for the second half in a move to inject some urgency into his team. Antony lasted just nine minutes before his evening ended prematurely, after another anonymous display.
United had been second best but produced the first genuine chance of the match in the 55th minute, with Diogo Dalot crashing a shot against the post from 20 yards.
Yet eight minutes later the City Ground erupted as Forest made the breakthrough with a goal from Argentina. Gonzalo Montiel was the architect, finding Nicolas Dominguez in space and the midfielder swept his shot past Onana.
United looked devoid of ideas but were gifted a route back into the game after another mistake from Matt Turner, the Forest goalkeeper. The United States international has come under regular scrutiny this season after several errors and his poor pass to Danilo was easily intercepted by Alejandro Garnacho.
Marcus Rashford was waiting and made no mistake from six yards. A former goalkeeper, Nuno wheeled around in barely concealed fury.
Forest reacted almost instantly, with Gibbs-White placing his shot into the corner eight minutes from the end.
Turner did redeem himself with a fine save from Bruno Fernandes’ deflected shot but as time ticked away, the camera zoomed in on Brailsford.
What a monumental job he has on his hands.
It’s clear the result is disappointing and I was disappointed with the performance before half-time. We were better in the second half, the football was better. They kept believing in a good result and they kept going and we had our chances. 
The players are also not happy with this but we have to do better. We haven’t played in a row with the same team. Every time we have to swap our team and it doesn’t help with the routines of the team and that is why we are inconsistent.
We fought. Garnacho had a very good game, I think. Diallo, too. 
We have had nine different partnerships at the back. It doesn’t help but it doesn’t matter, the fans don’t want to hear this. They want us to win. 
In January a lot of players are returning and then our level will be higher. 
[Brailsford] will see we have our problems. You want to build on Tuesday but then you have to change your striker which is why you see what happened with the front three in the first half. 
The ranking doens’t lie but we went head to head with Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa.
“Morgan Gibbs-White with a RUTHLESS finish!” 💥Forest are back in front! 🌳 pic.twitter.com/IjGLZD0fOO
‘It’s only a naughty dead leg. I’ll be fine. It’s incredible it puts us in such a good position going forward now. Credit to the boys and the manager. We tried to work on United’s counter-attack all week and in the second half we wanted to go for it and I thought we did that. Last season our record at home was incredible and we’re starting to pick it up again. 
As soon as the ball came to me I saw the bottom corner. I had to breathe, compose myself. I’ve been rushing it but tonight I picked my spot and luckily it didn’t fly over the bar. 
Before the year’s end. Brailsford’s marginal gains won’t do any good. They need a revolution. 
Forest beat United for the first time at the City Ground for 31 years and first time anywhere for 29.
Just at the death United fashioned a late chance for Eriksen to equalise after Reguilon went deep down the left and cut it back via Garnacho and Amad Diallo and his cross landed favorably for Eriksen who snatched at it. 
Forest thoroughly deserved their victory. United were rubbish but even so… Nuno has won back-to-back games against two of the Premier League’s Champions League qualifiers. 
Amad cuts in off the right to thump a shot that Turner gobbles up. 
Gibbs-White looks injured and is limping, kneading his left thigh as he walks. He is Gary Neville’s man of the match. 
Turner saves a deflected shot to spark ‘redemption’ talk. It came at him sharpish after United’s corner picked out Bruno Fernandes to thump on the volley from the right of the D. It hit the ground and kicked up at Murillo and hit him as he swung to clear and almost sliced it in. Turner moved to his left to palm it over. 
United have a penalty shout turned down after the ball parts a couple of players’ hair and catches Toffolo on the hand as it was down by his waist. Nothing doing. 
Evans and Gibbs-White collide and the latter comes off worst. 
Ten minutes of ‘Fergie time’ surprisingly go up on the board. Seems a bit much even given the treatment for Rashford. 
Eriksen overhits a pass and Turner flops on top of it to huge celebration. 
Triple Forest substitution: Aina, Danilo and Elanga depart Boly, Toffolo and Mangala come on. Reguilon replaces Wan-Bissaka for Man Utd. 
Garnacho is booked for a trip but VAR thinks it should be McTominay. The referee disagrees and sticks with his original decision. 
Forest fans celebrate a Turner catch almost as wildly as the goal. 
Forest 2 Man Utd 1 (Gibbs-White)  Turner dives to his left to save Eriksen’s shot and Forest break, shifting it up the right to Elanga. United have committed too may forward and it’s like a hot knife through butter. United stand off Elanga, worried that he will then accelerate past so let him drift inside and tap it to Gibbs-White to the right of the D and he curves a right-foot shot around Evans and gets it to bend in at the right post.
 
I’m sorry Forest fans, but you must be seething at that. IsVlachodimos that bad? 
Forest 1 Man Utd 1 (Rashford) Assist from the truly terrible Turner. The goalkeeper trying to play it out from the back scuffs it through the middle rather than launching it and Garnacho slides in to win it then plays just the right pass across to Rashford who calmly slots it into the bottom right corner.
Neville calls Turner ‘a scandal’. He has made so many errors with his feet it beggars belief. 
Ian Whittell reports
“Commentator’s curse” strikes again … that’s three this season for Rashford. Still only 10 per cent of his tally for last season but at least he is moving in the right direction. Fair to say, new Forest boss Nuno will have an interesting take on Matt Turner’s distribution today … and United fans thought Andre Onana was a liability! 
Jeff Whitefoot, once United’s youngest player, is picked out by the cameras on the even of his 90th birthday having a snooze in the crowd. Turner gives United some hope with another botched clearance that spoons up and diddles Rashford as he tried to pounce by spinning back into the keeper’s grasp. 
Forest change: Williams ⇢ Montiel. 
Evans is unhappy with the midfield for letting Yates and Gibbs-White fashion a shot. 
Neville calls United a ‘Jekyll and Hyde team’. He’s right but Hyde is winning.  
Manchester United snap into something approaching life after being stung by the goal. From a Bruno Fernandes corner that expertly picks out Garnacho, the winger hooks his volley into the ground and it bounces and spins wildly towards the bar, landing on the top of the goal.  
Forest 1 Man Utd 0 (Dominguez)  Sweeps a right-foot shot in from 15 yards, into the bottom left when fed by Montiel following a cock-up between Varane and Evans when trying to trigger the offside trap. Good finish. 
Rashford is OK. 
Gibbs-White whips the free-kick deep to Murillo who is held up by Rashford and then tackled by Eriksen who launches a long diagonal that Danilo doesn’t deal with and when United feed it back into the box, Rashford hyperextends his knee and looks hurt. 
Now Varane is booked for tripping Elanga to stop him haring away from him down the Forest right. 
Gibbs-White is booked for lunging in on McTominay and following it by lancing his legs at the ball and taking out Evans as he did so.
Dalot is also booked for dissent.  
United  suddenly click and work a very good move between McTominay, Wan-Bissaka and Amad down the right and the full-back squares it across the 18-yard line for Dalot who meets it sweetly and smacks it into the heart of the right post. 
At last something positive: Amad, who played so well for Sunderland last season, replaces Antony, who hasn’t played well for 18 months. 
Aina on the front foot sits Wan-Bissaka down after twisting his blood with a jinking run but the cut-back goes straight to someone in a stick of rock shirt and United clear. 
Now Dominguez takes a tumble in the box, beaten to the ball by Evans. Again, nothing doing despite the crowd’s penalty shouts. 
Gibbs-White throws himself on to the deck when challenging McTominay for a near-post cross. No penalty. Neville says Man Utd were exhilarating against Villa in the second half and it’s exasperating that they are so dire here. Speak for yourself …
Rashford in the D tries to thread a pass through to Bruno Fernandes and he completely horses it up, backheeling it without a glance straight to Turner. The groan is palpable. 
Manchester United make one change: McTominay ⇢ Mainoo. Elanga spent most of half-time on the pitch, trying to get loose it seemed. 
Nuno Espirito Santo has won the “stand-off” with opposite number Erik ten Hag. The United boss is just back from his second brief stint sitting on the bench, while the new Forest manager has remained standing, outside his technical area on the touchline. The 6ft 2in former keeper certainly cuts quite an imposing figure down there. 
Sir Dave Brailsford – king of “marginal gains” in his years in cycling – is alongside Sir Alex Ferguson in the directors’ box here. He’s going to represent new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in handling United’s football affairs. I suppose the “marginal gain” from their last game, against Villa, is that they haven’t conceded twice in the first half. But there has been no sign of the attacking style and ambition they showed throughout those 90 minutes on Boxing Day. A drab 0-0 so far. 
Antony is not playing very well and using him wide right when he always cuts in on his left has neutralised both Rashford and Garnacho. Can’t anyone else play up front? Martial maybe if he gets fit? McTominay? 
Dull fare, scruffy throughout. Hopefully the second half will improve. United need more fluidity in their front three, switching positions to try to throw the defenders off. Forest ought to think about adding Hudson-Odoi’s menace to the trouble Aina is causing Wan-Bissaka down the left. 
Onana comes out to punch the corner clear with a big right-hander. A minute later Onana whacks his attempted long pass straight into Wood, hitting him in the face and pole-axing him, fortunately. 
Only a minute of stoppage time is signalled. 
Forest corner after Elanga;s run down the left is stopped by Wan-Bissaka. Gibbs-White will take after some jostling is sorted out as red shorts surround Onana. 
Pretty garbage so far in terms of entertainment. Not much flair and dozens of mistakes. The lack of quality given the amounts both sides have spent is ridiculous. If you could bet on a goalkeeping error deciding it I’d lump on. 
Antony is caught offside down the right. 
Rashford switches with Antony and strides down the right to thread a pass into the Brazilian’s feet in the box but he tries to shoot through Murillo and cannot find a way to force it through his legs. 
Forest should have been given a corner when Wan-Bissaka slid in on Dominguez but the referee didn’t see it … just like the one at the other end. Evens it out. 
Sky shows that Rashford has the fewest touches of the 22 players, 10. Garnacho has only four more. Pretty grim fare so far from those two.  
Solid enough start from United who have weathered a strong opening from Forest. But they’ve now gone through the 300-minute mark without an away goal in the Premier League, dating back to the win at Everton last month. No goal today would make it the first time since April 1989 that the Reds didn’t score in four consecutive away league games – a run that included a 2-0 defeat at the City Ground. 
Garnacho and Eriksen work an opening for Wan-Bissaka to run on to the ball 20 yards out and shoot but he takes a touch and gives Murillo the time to get closer which makes his shot, when it comes, much easier to block. 
Danilo fires a crossfield switch pass from the left to Elanga who could run at Dalot but decides to lay it off to his captain Yates instead. Yates, standing by the right of the D, leans back and aims for the top left corner but steers it miles over. 
Niakhate is too strong for Rashford and eases him off the ball when the centre-forward was trying to hold it up by backing into the defender. 
United can’t get Garnacho into the game and Gary Neville is certain they need to vary their attacking lines more. 
From a Forest corner won at Evans’ expense after he had to clear up his won blocked clearance, Danilo wallops a left-foot pile driver from 18 yards on the half-volley into Wan-Bissaka’s thigh and the ball spins up and hits him again on the body, possibly arm, not that he could do anything to evade that. 
United are starting to kettle Forest in their own half but without much penetration. Aina and Montiel are defending the wings pretty well but when Bruno Fernandes links with Antony on the right they are enjoying more from Aina than Garnacho is with his compatriot, the World Cup-winner. 
United’s best spell of slick passing inside the Forest half is let down by Wan-Bissaka’s diagonal intended for Garnacho which is headed away by Montiel. 
Even allowing for the danger of the new manager bounce, Forest are an ideal opponent for United to face as they look to win consecutive league games for just the third time this season – after all Erik ten Hag has won all five of his meetings with them. Then again, this is a United side that had lost 13 games before Christmas – most since 1930. 
Jonny Evans buys a free-kick with a dive across Elanga. The Forest fans serenade him with ‘Leicester reject.’
Dominguez tucks in on the left and hits the pass outside down the wing for Aina to bomb on to and cross. Again the ball flashes across the six-yard box, eluding Onana but Wood stands still when there was a nod-in on offer at the back post. Has to gamble with a run there. 
Manchester United dig in down their right for a spell of probing but make no clear headway. Neither can Garnacho when they switch it to the left. 
Elanga burns past Wan-Bissaka down the Forest left and shapes a cross through the six-yard box. Varane sticks out a leg at the near post and slices it off his thigh past Onana and sends it scurrying across the goal-line before Evans scrambles it away. 
The corner is sent deep for Wood who nods it back but neither Murillo nor Danilo can find a team-mate when they attempt to cannon it through the box. 
Murillo overhits a pass intended for Aina. Forest are keen on those diagonals from the centre-backs. Montiel, for the second time, goes flying down the right and whips over a cross that Dalot hooks behind for a corner. Gibbs-White comes over to take the corner. 
United are playing 4-1-2-3 with the ball and 4-1-4-1 without it. Aina is allowed free rein down the Forest left and makes 30 yards before tapping it infield to Wood who RSVPs Evans’ invitation to shoot with a left-foot riser from 25 yards that clears the angle of bar and post. Evans just backed off. Odd that. 
Bruno Fernandes hounds Turner who never looks entirely comfortable. Turner takes the ball too close to the United captain and hacks it straight to Antony who feeds it back to Fernandes and his cross is turned behind for a corner which should have earned another but the referee missed Gibbs-White’s touch on Garnacho’s cross/shot. 
Forest swamp Onana, surrounding him but the delivery from the corner isn’t good enough and Manchester United see it out on their left. 
Forest kick off, playing from left to right, defending the Trent End. Mainoo is the deepest midfielder. Forest zip some quick passes around Eriksen and Mainoo to send Montiel down the right. He cuts it back towards the penalty spot and Dominguez shoots with his right, the ball deflecting out for a corner. 
Forest in the Garibaldi, United in the NFL umpire mufti. 
It is a good opportunity for him to show that we have coached a lot and trained a lot about runs in behind. He will have a good feeling.
He had a short spell as manager 12 years ago but lasted only 10 games, just two of which were victories. His big signing, Ishmael Miller, never clicked and McClaren was up the road two days into October with Forest 21st in the Champo after a 3-1 drubbing by Birmingham at home. Strange appointment given his past and future Derby affiliations.
Shame for him after having a decent second half on the left against Villa after a long slump. He started the season there reluctantly and played as the No9 when United fought back from 0-2 down at home to beat Forest 3-2 but he no longer looks comfortable there despite his emergence in that role under Louis van Gaal in 2016, leading the line in the FA Cup final victory over Palace. 
Nottingham Forest: Turner; Montiel, Niakhate, Murillo, Aina; Danilo, Yates; Gibbs-White, Dominguez, Elanga; Wood.Substitutes Vlachodimos, Tavares, Worrall, Mangala, Williams, Kouyate, Hudson-Odoi, Toffolo, Boly.
Manchester Utd: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Evans, Dalot; Mainoo, Eriksen; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Rashford. Substitutes  Bayindir, Reguilon, Diallo, Pellistri, Van de Beek, McTominay, Gore, Mejbri, Kambwala.
Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex)
The boss makes one change for our final test of 2023 👊🔄 @Antony00 replaces Rasmus Hojlund, who misses out through illness.#MUFC || #NFOMUN
For the suspended Sangare as Hudson-Odoi drops to the bench:
Your Reds to take on @ManUtd 👊
🚨 Rasmus won’t be available for tonight’s fixture against Nottingham Forest.#MUFC || #NFOMUN
By Luke Edwards
Lisandro Martínez will offer a New Year boost to Manchester United as he is close to returning to action after a long term foot injury.
Martinez broke his metatarsal in the 2-2 draw with Sevilla back in April and although he returned to the team towards the end of pre-season he aggravated the injury against Arsenal in September.
What was expected to be a relatively straight forward problem has instead required two operations and the defender admitted it had a “really tough” experience.
The Argentina international, though, is finally close to a return as is expected to be available for selection by Erik ten Hag towards the end of January.
“I am feeling really good about my rehab,” said Martinez in an interview with MUTV. “It’s going amazing, the way I want. I am feeling strong and doing everything right, the physio, he has been amazing, also the medical department take care of me from day one so it was very important. All is perfect for me.
“It’s tough, so tough, especially when [it has been] almost 6½ months. It’s really really tough but I feel strong in my mind. Yeah, definitely we need to be patient. I will be back very soon.”
Martinez’s combative quality in the middle of the defence has been sorely missed by Ten Hag, with the United defence conceding far too many soft goals in his absence.
“It has been a bit strange for me because I love to be on the pitch fighting for the team,” Martinez added. “But we have to accept this part, we need to support the team, help them whenever they need me. I will be there supporting them, offering advice and being positive because that is so important – to bring good energy to the team.”
Martinez’s return to likely to coincide with the departure of goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has been called up by Cameroon for the African Cup of Nations which start on January 13. Onana could be missing for more than a month if Cameroon progress deep into the tournament. Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has also been called up by Morocco which give Ten Hag holes to fill in his squad.
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Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United in the Premier League. Forest, who haven’t beaten Man Utd at the City Ground in seven attempts stretching back to 1992, started the day in 16th, a point ahead of Everton, following their victory at St James’ Park under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo which ended a disarming run of seven games without a win. Erik ten Hag’s side arrive in buoyant mood in seventh place after turning a tide which threatened to sweep their manager away against Aston Villa, fighting back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in one of the most joyous halves Old Trafford had witnessed for years.
Forest did a proper job on a jaded Newcastle side, utilising the pace of Anthony Elanga and Calum Hudson-Odoi, Nuno’s makeover job on Chris Wood turning him into Raúl Jiménez circa 2019. a tight defensive structure and another impressive performance from Danilo in midfield. Manchester United can expect more of the same – speed out wide plus Morgan Gibbs-White through the middle should test the durability of the Evans-Varane partnership unless United’s full-backs can push the wingers back beyond halfway consistently.
Anthony Martial is the only one of the 11 first-team squad absentees against Villa with a fair chance of being available this evening for the away side, who are expected to turn out in their green, white and red pyjama shirts. Ibrahim Sangaré, who was booked for a foul on Alexander Isak last time out, is suspended which will force a midfield change on Nuno which should open the door for Ryan Yates.
Ten Hag spent most of the week publicly talking about his and Ineos’s mutual admiration society and barely uttered a word about the game. Nuno, by contrast, was full of praise for Gibbs-White with whom he was rumoured to have endured a fractious relationship at Molineux. “Morgan has the qualities, talent and special abilities within the game to help the team,” he said. “What I expect from Morgan, is to provide the fighting spirit and quality, the key passes that can help us find spaces for his team-mates.
“He does all of those things. Also, he was captain of the team which is a big responsibility for such a young boy, and he did well.”