Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester United: Antony and Diogo Dalot score to send Red Devils third

Manchester United arrived here and lamented their luck with injuries. How ironic then that another, just minutes before kick-off, should turn out to be so coincidental.

Christian Eriksen was dropped into the starting eleven and where there was turbulence in his absence, the Dane brought calm and control to United’s midfield.

It’s quite possible that Antony – goalscorer of one, maker of the other and ultimately looks like an £80 million winger – as well as the excellent Bruno Fernandes will receive the more obvious praise.

But it was Eriksen whose composure the serenity of deeply caring for others to make a sound further down the field. His participation alone – at the expense of Marcel Sabitzer, who retired during the warm-up – allowed Fernandes to operate in a more advanced role, from which the Portuguese impressed as we know he can, inspiring his teammates and his annoyed opponents. .

If Eriksen is the bow, Fernandes is the arrow. That combination – after an hour they had exchanged more passes in the opposing half than the entire Forest squad – was the difference in securing a first away win in the Premier League since February, and just United’s second in 2023.

Antony stood up in the absence of injured striker Marcus Rashford as he picked up the visitors’ first goal of the game

Christian Eriksen also performed well after being called off at the last minute following an injury to Marcel Sabitzer in training

Eriksen started for the first time since he injured his ankle in January, not that Erik ten Hag considered him ready for placement. It was thrust upon him as Sabitzer joined an injury list that already includes United’s first-choice center halves, both left-backs and top scorer Marcus Rashford.

But a silk purse was sewn out of this sow’s ear, and Eriksen was the thread through the visiting side. Ten Hag had arrived at the City Ground wearing a flat cap and should have handed it over to his midfielder after a performance that helped United return to third in the table, a reassuring raise ahead of a crucial week in the cup competitions .

By the end, their victory felt rather routine. Perhaps that was because by then we had seen them dominate Forest for the better part of an hour, and the margin of their victory should have been much greater. An XG of 3.5 and 22 shots on target tell you so much.

However, if Forest survives on goal difference, they must retroactively pay Keylor Navas his win bonus for this game. The hired Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper was just the proverbial cat at times, and it was a miracle he only lived two of his nine lives.

Forest boss Steve Cooper, meanwhile, clings to his final touch. This was a 10th game without a win and for the first time there was home bosom on the banks of the River Trent. Maybe the ripple effect will be enough to see Cooper go down.

This will give him little reassurance now, but his team turned it into a game during a spirited start in which they looked as good as United to break what was always a fragile deadlock. Both sides played the first half hour as if it were the last, the game was so tense and frenzied. It was a lot of fun, if not for Harry Maguire.

The United captain has an ignorant tendency to cast himself as the comic villain. Within fifteen minutes every touch of his was greeted as if he were playing in panto. So much for good defenders who go unnoticed.

He was booked after three minutes for a rugby tackle on Taiwo Awoniyi just before half time, with an acre of open green behind it. It was the kind of challenge for which a sin bin could exist.

Not that Maguire United’s continued presence helped at first. The home fans at least enjoyed it, and a pass straight out of play sparked another round of giggles.

But those same supporters weren’t laughing when United escaped the concession of a penalty in the 20th minute. No prizes for guessing whose arm hit the ball. The only thing Maguire was missing now was face paint.

Was it a penalty kick? Maguire jumped between bodies from a corner and had no idea where the ball was when it landed on his outstretched arm. If it is awarded by the referee, it will probably still be a penalty kick. If not, which it was not, there is no compelling reason to destroy. For the record, Maguire recovered and sauntered through the second half. He deserves credit for that.

In the 25th minute, Forest centre-back Scott McKenna had made more touches in the opposing penalty area – three – than United’s forward triumvirate of Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Antony combined. McKenna hit the post with one of them.

But after digging so deep, Forest ended up in their own hole. We didn’t see them again when Antony opened the scoring.

The Brazilian winger also assisted Dalot’s goal in a promising performance from the often frustrating 23-year-old

Bruno Fernandes was outstanding for Manchester United as he led the game from his new midfield role

The loss keeps Nottingham Forest in the bottom three, with Steve Cooper’s side now winless in their last 10 league games

The Tricky Trees still have tough games to go against the likes of Liverpool, Brighton, Brentford and Chelsea

Erik ten Hag’s team then comes into action when they meet Sevilla in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final

That goal, on 32 minutes, owed much to Martial’s tenacity – and that’s not a misprint. He won the ball from Danilo before accepting a sharp pass from Fernandes, freeing him into the area. His low shot provoked a save from Navas and Antony followed to bundle home.

A team of United staff, including technical director Darren Fletcher, sat in the press box and praised Martial’s efforts, even if there was an undertone of amazement.

Those same voices praised Antony 14 minutes from time as he drifted past a bunch of Forest jerseys, now seemingly uninterested, and the ball slipped through for Dalot to finish his first for the club with an easy control past Navas.

And that’s how it felt for United, all too easily. It’s just like Eriksen makes it look too.