Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man United: Thanks to Antony, Manchester United have taken full advantage of the defeats of competitors Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. The Red Devils made no mistake on a visit to Nottingham Forest on Sunday (0-2).
Antony ends barre series and crowns Man United golden weekend
When Antony scored for the third Premier League game in a row against Everton in October last year, it seemed only a matter of time before the Brazilian reached double figures. It turned out differently. After that Sunday evening at Goodison Park, Antony’s goal production stopped, who has not scored in the competition since. He also had to wait for his first assist.
Nevertheless, manager Erik ten Hag usually sticks to the former Ajax player, whom he took from Amsterdam to Manchester last summer. At the City Ground in Nottingham, Antony repaid Ten Hag’s rock-solid confidence by ending his Premier League goal drought.
After half an hour, Anthony Martial, who, just like against Sevilla, was preferred to Wout Weghorst, came across Keylor Navas. The Costa Rican pushed the ball to the side, where Antony reacted alertly and opened the score (0-1). Six months and 38 fruitless attempts later, the 22-year-old attacker was finally allowed to cheer again.
The away section at the City Ground celebrated Antony’s goal exuberantly. United’s supporters already had a good weekend, because the day before both number three Newcastle United and number five Tottenham Hotspur fell. A win for United would not only mean third place, but also a large margin in the battle for a coveted Champions League ticket.
That scenario played out in Nottingham. Diogo Dalot, playing at left back due to the absence of Tyrell Malacia, doubled the score fifteen minutes before the end. On a pass from Antony, the Portuguese defender ended the game (0-2). This was a first for the Brazilian, as it was his first assist in the Premier League.
No déjà vu
United gave away a 2-0 lead against Sevilla on Thursday in the Europa League, but it would not come that far three days later. With the victory at Nottingham Forest, United takes third place from Newcastle. The lead over Spurs is six points, while the North Londoners already have a game more in their legs.
This means that placement for the group stage of the Champions League is getting closer for Ten Hag’s team. United can strike again next week, because then Newcastle and Spurs will compete against each other at St. James’ Park.
