Forest upset Amorim's Man United in dramatic Premier League clash at Old Trafford

Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

Nottingham Forest dealt Manchester United their second consecutive Premier League defeat with a thrilling 3-2 win at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Goals from Nikola Milenkovic, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Chris Wood secured Forest’s first triumph at the iconic venue since 1994, leaving the hosts in 13th place on the table and piling pressure on manager Ruben Amorim.

United had hoped to bounce back after a midweek loss to Arsenal, and Rasmus Hojlund’s equalizer in the 18th minute briefly reignited those aspirations. But Forest’s determined performance, capped by a resilient defensive effort, ensured the visitors climbed to fifth place in the league standings.

Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag last month, had shown promise in his early days as United manager with two wins and a draw in his first three matches. However, the Portuguese tactician warned of challenges ahead.

"Tough game in a tough moment, but we have to continue the job," a frustrated Amorim told the BBC after the match. "This is a long journey. We are improving in some aspects, but we have to win games to help us improve the team."

Amorim emphasized the scale of the task at hand, adding, "We are in 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."

Set-Piece Struggles

United’s Achilles' heel was their inability to defend set pieces, an issue that surfaced during the midweek Arsenal defeat. Forest capitalized early, with Nikola Milenkovic heading home an Elliot Anderson corner in just the second minute after outmuscling Lisandro Martinez.

While United equalized through Hojlund, Forest remained undeterred. Jota Silva’s header off a free-kick rattled the crossbar, and just before halftime, Bruno Fernandes saw his 25-yard free-kick spectacularly tipped onto the bar by Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.

The second half began disastrously for United as Gibbs-White punished a Fernandes turnover with a swerving 20-yard strike that left goalkeeper Andre Onana flat-footed. Forest’s dominance continued when Chris Wood capitalized on a deep Gibbs-White cross, his header looping over Onana and a scrambling United defense.

United showed signs of life when Amad Diallo set up Fernandes for a well-placed finish just after the hour mark, cutting Forest’s lead to one. The goal sparked hope among the home crowd, but Forest’s defense held firm.

Despite late efforts from substitutes Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot, as well as an audacious overhead kick from Martinez in stoppage time, United could not find the equalizer.