Oh, what a night at The City Ground! Nuno Espirito Santo's Nottingham Forest pulled off a jaw-dropping victory, securing a historic 2-1 win over Manchester United. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd was buzzing with anticipation, and referee Tim Robinson had a front-row seat to the drama.
The match kicked off at 18:30, with 29,529 fans on the edge of their seats. Forest made two changes from their last triumph, with Ryan Yates and Nicolás DomÃnguez stepping in. On the other side, Antony replaced the unwell Rasmus Hojlund, positioning Marcus Rashford at the center.
It was a spirited start by Forest, with Chris Wood, fresh from his Boxing Day hat-trick, taking an early shot that narrowly missed the mark. The hosts were hungry for the opener, and former United winger Anthony Elanga came close, forcing a fine save.
The first half saw few chances, but Forest continued to press. United managed just one shot on target, a deflected effort from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Despite Forest having the brighter start to the second half, United's Diogo Dalot struck a post, igniting the match.
In the 64th minute, Forest's patience paid off. Gonzalo Montiel's precision cross found DomÃnguez, who slotted home with a clinical first-time shot. The roar from The City Ground was deafening.
But hold on, the drama was far from over. United, refusing to go down quietly, found an equalizer. Alejandro Garnacho intercepted a poor pass from Matt Turner, squaring the ball for Rashford to bury it in the bottom corner.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, Turner redeemed himself. A save from Christian Eriksen set up a Forest counter. Elanga played in Morgan Gibbs-White, who unleashed a first-time shot to restore Forest's lead.
Deep into stoppage time, United almost pulled off a miraculous equalizer, but Turner denied them. Forest held on for a historic win, their first over United since November 1994. The Reds climb to 15th on the table, leaving United in seventh, nine points adrift of the top four.
What a night! Forest fans will be savoring this victory, and Nuno's Reds have certainly made a statement at The City Ground.