Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester United: Erik ten Hag's Red Devils tighten grip on top-four spot with away win

Manchester United put their European blues behind them as they classily beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 on a testing afternoon at the City Ground. Arriving in a bubbling cauldron prior to kick-off, Erik ten Hag had to contend with enforced changes to the free-flowing side that played — at times — some sumptuous stuff against Sevilla last Thursday, and while some that came in failed to impress, those that kept their places lit up this fast and fiery encounter.

Ad It was Antony who got the opening goal on 32 minutes, and Diogo Dalot, playing in an unfamiliar left-back role, doubled the visitors' lead late on, but it was the man in the middle of the park, Bruno Fernandes, who ran the show. Premier LeagueArsenal dealt title race blow as West Ham fight back to claim draw7 HOURS AGO The raucous home support sang till their throats dried out, giving their all to spur their struggling side on, but they were outplayed.

Fernandes, accompanied by the late change Christian Eriksen, who replaced the injured Marcel Sabitzer, starred in the half-spaces, the Forest players surrounding them unable to get close, in proximity and quality. The gulf was vast.

United peppered the home goal, and Steve Cooper will have Keylor Navas to thank for keeping the score respectable. It was Jadon Sancho inside two minutes who blasted into the sliding Felipe after Navas' parry from Fernandes, before the Portuguese magnifico span on a sixpence just after the half-hour, feeding the dangerous Anthony Martial in the left-hand channel, and the Frenchman's shot was saved well by the Forest goalkeeper initially, only for Antony to steal a march on his compatriot Renan Lodi at the far post to prod United into the lead.