Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester United: Casemiro scores late winner to book last-eight spot
Casemiro #Casemiro
Manchester United booked an FA Cup quarter-final with old rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford next month thanks to Casemiro’s 89th-minute winner against Nottingham Forest.
The Brazilian dashed in to flick home Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick, although the goal was only given after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check for a possible offside in the build-up.
On the ground where he famously won an FA Cup third-round tie to save his own job in 1990, Sir Alex Ferguson sat next to new United director Sir Dave Brailsford as under-pressure current boss Erik ten Hag preserved his only remaining chance of marking his second season with a trophy.
The visitors edged a game that did appear destined for extra time but wasted a string of excellent opportunities to break the deadlock.
Looking to reach the last eight for only the second time since 1996, Forest sparked only sporadically, with Divock Origi and Taiwo Awoniyi both having decent efforts saved by United keeper Andre Onana.
As it turned out, Casemiro’s fifth goal of the season was enough to see them through.
But missing Harry Maguire with a suspected knee injury, United will have to be far more effective on Sunday when they visit Manchester City, who beat them in last season’s FA Cup final.
“We lost one time in 2024. We are consistent,” Ten Hag told BBC Match of the Day.
“It’s not so easy when you have the whole backline and we have to shuffle and play players in different positions. I’m very proud we did it.
“Every win is important. We take it for 24 hours and then we move on. [We have] fantastic games coming up.”
Casemiro’s goal was his first since netting against Crystal Palace at the end of SeptemberAntony’s frustrations continue
Ten Hag surprised a few people in his pre-match press conference when he said Antony was one of the quickest players over 10 yards and he had the stats to back it up.
Starting for the first time since his goalscoring contribution to the previous round’s victory at Newport, it was not easy to see how he could arrive at that measurement.
The truth was the former Ajax man’s possession tended to follow a pattern. Receiving the ball on the right, he would tend to take a couple of stuttering strides to his right, then either cut inside and go across the pitch for a few strides or simply lay the ball off.
It was not the reason United made Antony the club’s second most expensive player in their history, behind Paul Pogba, when they paid £82m for him at Ten Hag’s insistence just before the summer 2022 transfer deadline.
The Brazilian was unfortunate an early effort from the edge of the area flicked off the crossbar, the end of a well-worked corner routine and part of an early offensive that should have seen the visitors ahead.
Scott McTominay was in a far better position than he realised when, unmarked, he steered an eight-yard header straight at Forest keeper Matt Turner. McTominay did much better with another Diogo Dalot cross later in the half, stooping low to steer another header towards goal which Turner kept out with a smart reaction save.
Antony had one more effort on the Forest goal in the second half before he was replaced by Amad Diallo 17 minutes from time, looking thoroughly fed up as he trudged to the sideline.
Marcus Rashford was also having one of his more ineffective nights and when he blazed wide after darting into the box, it seemed certain the match was heading to extra time.
To the delight of the visiting fans, Casemiro had other ideas, with his first goal since September proving decisive.
Forest out but bigger challenges ahead
Compared to a relegation fight and a legal battle to avoid a points deduction they can ill afford, a midweek FA Cup fifth-round tie was very much third on the list of priorities for Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who watched on from his seat in the directors’ box.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo presided over a home victory over Manchester United in his early honeymoon period after replacing Steve Cooper.
Since then, two of their three victories came in FA Cup replays against lower league Blackpool and Bristol City and, worryingly, the venom appears to have gone out of their play.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s best opportunity, when he forced a superb save out of Onana, turned out to be offside anyway. Origi worked hard but has never been the most reliable finisher, while Awoniyi wasn’t his usual threat.
Once the weekend encounter at home to Liverpool is out of the way, Forest have a run of winnable fixtures that may determine their fate.
However, before that, at the beginning of next week, their legal battle begins to avoid a points deduction for breaking Premier League spending rules. The outcome of that could be pivotal to their top-flight survival fight.
Player of the match
ElangaAnthony Elanga
Nottingham Forest
Squad number21Player nameElanga
Squad number27Player nameOrigi
Squad number10Player nameGibbs-White
Squad number7Player nameN Williams
Squad number9Player nameAwoniyi
Squad number40Player nameMurillo
Squad number15Player nameToffolo
Squad number22Player nameYates
Squad number28Player nameDanilo
Squad number18Player nameFelipe
Squad number1Player nameTurner
Squad number14Player nameHudson-Odoi
Squad number20Player nameReyna
Squad number37Player nameRodrigo Ribeiro
Line-upsNottm Forest
Formation 4-2-3-1
1Turner
7N Williams18Felipe40Santiago Costa dos Santos15Toffolo
22Yates28Danilo
27Origi10Gibbs-White21Elanga
9Awoniyi
Substitutes
Man Utd
Formation 4-2-3-1
24Onana
20Dalot2Lindelöf19Varane4S Amrabat
39McTominay18Casemiro
21Antony8Bruno Fernandes17Garnacho
10Rashford
Substitutes
Referee:Chris Kavanagh
Attendance:28,665
Live Text
Match ends, Nottingham Forest 0, Manchester United 1.
Second Half ends, Nottingham Forest 0, Manchester United 1.
Offside, Manchester United. Bruno Fernandes is caught offside.
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Felipe.
Foul by Amad Diallo (Manchester United).
Harry Toffolo (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Manchester United. Kobbie Mainoo replaces Scott McTominay.
Substitution, Manchester United. Jonny Evans replaces Sofyan Amrabat.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Rodrigo Ribeiro replaces Danilo.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Giovanni Reyna replaces Ryan Yates.
Goal! Nottingham Forest 0, Manchester United 1. Casemiro (Manchester United) header from the left side of the six yard box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes with a cross following a set piece situation.
Diogo Dalot (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest).
Scott McTominay (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Danilo (Nottingham Forest).
Offside, Nottingham Forest. Harry Toffolo is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Casemiro (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Scott McTominay.
Attempt missed. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes.
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Neco Williams.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Callum Hudson-Odoi replaces Divock Origi.