Manchester United hosted Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag keen to pick up where he left off against Fulham ahead of the World Cup break.
United were looking to build on a win against Burnley to clinch all three points against a tough opponent at Nottingham Forest.
Ten Hag fielded a strong starting XI, albeit with a makeshift back-line. David de Gea started in goal with a pair of center-backs from Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw ahead of him. Tyrell Malacia and Aaron Wan-Bissaka formed the full-back pairing on both flanks.
Casemiro as the deepest midfielder started alongside Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen. Anthony Martial led the line with Antony and Marcus Rashford on either side of him.
Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest
dominant first half
United were by far the better side in the first 45 minutes which saw the team head into half-time two goals clear.
United had most of the possession and created the clearest chances. Ten Hag’s men mustered a whopping 70% possession to Forest’s paltry 30%.
The Reds registered six shots, three of them on target to their opponent’s two shots, with only one challenging De Gea.
United opened the scoring with a brilliant set-piece routine on the training ground. Rashford made a superb run to get on the end of a low corner cross from Eriksen and fired the ball past a defenseless Wayne Hennessey.
Three minutes later, Rashford assisted Martial after facing his defender. The Frenchman did not miss from the edge of the area with a shot that escaped the Forest goalkeeper.
Beyond their attacking forays, United did well to limit Steve Cooper’s side to few attacking opportunities. The defense weathered any storm that came their way and neutralized the Forest players.
In a defensive masterclass orchestrated by Casemiro and Varane, aside from one disallowed goal, United never seemed to concede and were in comfortable control of the proceedings throughout. Without a doubt, Ten Hag would have been elated with the performance of his players in the first half.
Rashford is firing on all cylinders
Rashford is a fit man! English can’t seem to stop scoring right now.
As well as a goal and an assist in the first half, Rashford was a thorn in the back of the Forest defense throughout the game. His speed and the constant running behind him kept Forest defenders on their toes during the time he was on the pitch.
What was most impressive about his performance tonight is that he shone at all three positions on the forward line.
Just like he did against Burnley, Rashford played on the right, left and up the middle. In all three roles, he stood out to great effect and showed his class.
His versatility will especially please Ten Hag, whose attack department has been reduced to a minimum after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. At the moment, Rashford is offsetting this burden.
Ten Hag recently stated that Rashford is capable of scoring 20 goals this season. With his goal against Forest, he’s halfway there and seems to be growing stronger with each passing game.
Antonio slightly below average
In a match where many of United’s players stepped up and proved themselves, Antony lost his pace.
Of United’s attacking players, he was the worst performing. He missed some easy passes at crucial crunch times, some on the fast break that the Red Devils could have benefited from.
The Brazilian also missed a relatively easy finish with his strong left foot as Fernandes hit him on a layup with only the keeper to beat.
Compared to Rashford and even Alejandro Garnacho, Antony seemed reluctant to take on his man even when the opportunity presented itself. Also unlike Rashford, whenever Antony found himself left, he didn’t comply.
Hopefully, there is nothing to worry about and the winger will be back to his best soon.
