On December 7, 2024, Nottingham Forest secured a thrilling 3-2 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford, dealing the Red Devils their second consecutive Premier League loss under new manager Ruben Amorim. This win marked Forest’s first at Old Trafford since 1994, pushing them into the top five of the Premier League standings, while United struggled in 13th place.
The match started with an early goal from Forest’s Nikola Milenković, who scored from a corner in the second minute. United responded swiftly with Rasmus Højlund, who found the net in the 18th minute after a blocked shot from Alejandro Garnacho. But Forest regained control with Morgan Gibbs-White scoring a spectacular 20-yard strike in the second half, followed by Chris Wood’s header to extend their lead to 3-1.
Bruno Fernandes pulled one back for United, firing past Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels after a pass from Amad Diallo, but the home side’s attempts to equalize in the final minutes fell short. Despite late pressure from United, including near chances from Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martínez, Forest held firm to secure the win.
A frustrated Amorim reflected on the loss, saying, “A tough game in a tough moment, but we have to continue the job. This is a long journey. We are improving in some aspects. We have to win games to help us improve the team.”
United’s ongoing struggles were evident in their defensive weaknesses, especially at set-pieces. Milenković’s early header and the lack of defensive coordination allowed Forest to take control of the match. Amorim’s side has now suffered back-to-back defeats, following a 2-0 loss to Arsenal earlier in the week.
Despite the result, Amorim emphasized the importance of continuing to improve, acknowledging the challenge ahead: “We are at the start of something so big that we pay attention to every detail. We already know it’s a big job, so we have to continue.”
