Man Utd's horror season hits new low after Nottingham Forest masterclass - 6 talking points
Daily mirror April 02, 2025 09:39 AM

's rollercoaster season under continued on Tuesday night after a 1-0 loss to . Former Red Devil Anthony Elanga struck against his old club in the fourth minute with a superb solo effort to hand United an uphill task for the rest of the game.

United rallied and hit the post through Diogo Dalot but struggled to find an equaliser and went into the break a goal down.

Amorim's men failed to produce enough clear cut openings as Forest were able to sit on their lead and grind out three points - but the Red Devils came mightily close to a late goal as Harry Maguire's effort was cleared off the line in the last seconds.

Forest have now secured the league double over United with a vital win that puts them a step closer to qualifying for the Champions League.

has taken a look at the biggest talking points from the game at the City Ground.

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Elanga comes back to haunt United

United sold him for just £15m in the summer of 2023 and tonight Elanga sent the perfect message to his former employers with a sensational solo goal to stun the Red Devils inside the first four minutes.

The Sweden international embarked on a mazy run after picking up the ball near the edge of his own penalty area and ran the length of the pitch with three United players tracking back to stop him.

He then advanced centrally and charged into the box with no United defender attempting a challenge - before slotting calmly past Onana into the corner.

Elanga gave a muted celebration in respect for his former club but it only served to show that United may have made a big mistake letting him go, and as things stand he will be playing in the next season.

The 22-year-old now has six goals and eight assists and you could make a very solid argument that he would get into Amorim's starting XI as things stand.

Only (35) has more goals and assists combined than Elanga (28) since he arrived at Forest, and that speaks volumes.

Elanga's sale looks all the more puzzling now considering the club decided to offload him instead of Antony, and Jadon Sancho - who have all now been shipped out on loan.

Zirkzee fails to repay faith

Joshua Zirkzee has been placed under the microscope on a number of occasions this season due to his sketchy displays since joining from Bologna for £35m last summer.

The Dutchman has scored six goals in all competitions but just three in the - with the forward being forced to play more as a substitute than as a starter this season.

But he was given a chance to impress from the off at the City Ground, with Hojlund benched - and Amorim said Zirkzee's inclusion was a "tactical reason" - insisting he had picked "the best XI to win the game".

But Zirkzee, as he has been so many times this season, was anonymous for the most part against Forest and barely touched the ball.

He offered little as an attacking option - though he was given little service - as Amorim was forced to bring on Hojlund in the second half to support him.

Casemiro and Ugarte's run ends

Neither player have covered themselves in glory this season - especially Casemiro - but the duo had put together an impressive record when they were paired together in midfield.

Casemiro has been slammed for his under-par displays in this campaign and he has come close to leaving the club in both transfer windows, but he has fared better alongside former star Ugarte.

Before the Forest game, Casemiro and Ugarte had never lost when starting a game together, with United winning four games and drawing two in that time.

But that run came to an end on Tuesday after United were breached early and the two struggled to make an impact in midfield.

At half time, Amorim decided to take the quiet Ugarte off for Hojlund, making a tactical shift of his formation - and then abandoned his starting central midfield totally midway through the second half after Casemiro was hooked for Eriksen.

United lack cutting edge

We've certainly seen worse performances this season and Amorim's men played some decent stuff in the first half particularly.

In the opening period, we were told about four times by co-commentator Ally McCoist how United had put together some great moves, but they still failed to put the ball in the back of the net.

United had 10 shots in the first half, which was the second-highest they had all season in the opening 45 minutes of an away game. The most was 11 in a 3-0 win over in September.

Things didn't get much better in the second half as Hojlund and Zirkzee failed to produce a threat and Forest looked comfortable for the most part.

Their woeful finishing was summed up by of all people being found in the box late on by a great Patrick Dorgu cross - though the centre-back headed it well wide.

United had a total of 20 opportunities and will be left with a feeling of "what if" as they make the journey back to Manchester.

Amorim will be frustrated by his team's lack of spark and will only solidify his desires for a new striker that can guarantee goals.

Garnacho frustrates

In a game where a former Manchester United winger caught the eye, there was additional pressure on Garnacho to deliver the goods.

The Argentine was actually shrugged off by Elanga and sent crashing to the turf before the Swedish star fired in the opening goal.

Later in the game, Garnacho was wasteful - spurning a number of opportunities as he blasted over the bar on a few occasions.

He earned the wrath of many supporters on social media, with some questioning his decision making and shooting accuracy.

returns

Some positive news for United fans was the return of midfielder Mount, who has had a sorry time on the sidelines this season with niggling injury problems.

The former man has not played a game since December 15 after battling a succession of hamstring injuries.

It's incredible to think this man cost United around £60m in 2023 - he's barely kicked a ball for the Red Devils and he will have been relieved to finally get back on the pitch this week, desperate not to suffer any more set-backs.

He very nearly enjoyed the perfect comeback after collecting a poor clearance on the edge of the area and curling an effort that flashed just past the far post.

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