Manchester United 2-3 Nottingham Forest – PLAYER RATINGS: Who found life tough to organise the defence? Who was impressive while many around him made costly mistakes? And who has to be a regular starter?
- Man United suffered a second straight defeat under head coach Ruben Amorim
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Manchester United suffered their second successive defeat under Ruben Amorim as Nottingham Forest claimed a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford.
Nikola Milenkovic gave the visitors a second-minute lead when the Serbian defender headed in a corner, before Rasmus Hojlund struck to put Man United back on level terms.
Forest stunned Man United after half-time with Morgan Gibbs-White’s effort deceiving goalkeeper Andre Onana from distance, before Chris Wood’s looping header slotted in to extend their lead.
Captain Bruno Fernandes pulled a goal back for Man United on the hour mark, but the home side failed to equalise.
Mail Sport’s Nathan Salt rates the players at Old Trafford.
Man United head coach Ruben Amorim saw his team suffer a second defeat in a row
Manchester United (3-4-3)
André Onana – 4
He has been United’s best player so far this season, but looked like the Onana of last season when he made a terrible mistake in Morgan Gibbs-White’s goal. The ball was fired straight at him and inexplicably went in.
Lisandro Martínez – 5
Was bullied by Milenkovic for the opening goal in what was a total mismatch before recovering to find his footing in the match. He misjudged Chris Wood’s header and let it squeeze past him as he marked the post.
Matthias de Ligt – 5
A consistent selection since the arrival of Ruben Amorim, but he has found it difficult to organize the defensive unit here as a central centre-back. He’s in a battle with Harry Maguire in that central role, and displays like this don’t help his cause.
Leny Yoro-6
Making his home debut here in the pouring rain, it was a defiant ‘welcome to the league’ moment for the teenager. He initially brought a sense of calm to the back three, which can look fraught when pressured, but he was soon pushed through the ring by an experienced striker in Chris Wood, who gained the upper hand for the third Forest -goal.
Andre Onana was wrong-footed as Morgan Gibbs-White restored Nottingham Forest’s lead
Lisandro Martinez could not keep out Chris Wood’s header on the line for Forest’s third goal
Diogo Dalot-6
He continued to cut in behind the Forest backline, but his decision-making when crossing often frustrated a home crowd who felt he was dwelling on it too long. Because he plays from his position on the left, concessions have to be made.
Kobbie Mainoo-6
Extremely talented, but he continues to find his way after returning to the side following an injury layoff. Had grown into the game after a very quiet first half, but given his ceiling, he and Amorim will know that he can and will get a lot better.
Manuel Ugarte-7.5
His pass played a key role in United’s equalizer and this was another impressive performance, while many around him made costly mistakes that caused United problems. It took a while to warm up in a United shirt but he seems to be coming to the boil now. An important piece of Amorim’s puzzle as he builds this team.
Amad Diallo-7
The difficult Ivorian, who is put aside as one of four substitutes, is a constant threat because of the full-back role he continues to adopt. It was his decisive run that got United back into the game as he cut the deficit for Fernandes to score. Should be a regular starter from now on.
Alejandro Garnacho-6
It was his first shot that was parried into the path of Rasmus Hojlund, adding another assist to his season total. As the match progressed he became frustrated and was the first player to be hooked by Amorim as United went down 3-1.
Amad Diallo was a constant threat from full-back and should be a regular starter from now on
Bruno Fernandes produced a fantastic curling finish to reduce the deficit in the second half
Bruno Fernandes-7
Could only look to the sky after his misplaced pass to Leny Yoro ultimately led to Morgan Gibbs-White Forest firing into a 2-1 lead. This was made up for with a fantastic curling finish from outside the penalty area to reduce the deficit to 3-2. Even in the difficult moments, he is the ultimate leader that Amorim can rely on.
Rasmus Hojlund – 6.5
He has a penchant for scoring difficult goals, but this was one of the easiest goals Hojlund scored all season when he tapped into an empty net. He remains a raw prospect and it showed as he spurned chances that could have seen him score a first-half hat-trick. He is moving into the right positions, but he still needs to be refined to become the clinical striker United will need to rely on in the coming years.
Manager: Ruben Amorim – 6
He did say a storm was coming, but consecutive defeats within a week would not have been in his prediction. Made four changes to freshen things up, but his team looked disjointed during spells and looked increasingly vulnerable at set-pieces. Desperately needs time on the training pitch.
SUBS
Marcus Rashford (for Alejandro Garnacho, 59) – 5.5
Harry Maguire (for Matthjis de Ligt, 65) – 6
Noussair Mazraoui (for Leny Yoro, 66) – 6.5
Joshua Zirkzee (for Bruno Fernandes, 76) – 5
Mason Mount (for Manuel Ugarte, 76) – 5