Manchester United hope to return to winning ways as they host Nottingham Forest to also aim to gain points following their defeat against Manchester City.
Ruben Amorim’s perfect run as Manchester United’s manager came to a halt on Wednesday evening when his team succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal. This marked Amorim’s first league loss since December 2023, with both goals resulting from corner kicks. Although he acknowledged the need for improvement in handling such situations, the overall defensive performance for much of the game showed potential for future success.
Combining an enhanced offensive strategy is Amorim’s next task as he aims to continue a seven-game unbeaten streak at Old Trafford (W6, D1). With this run featuring four consecutive victories, United have the chance to secure five successive home wins in a single season for the first time since February 2023—a series that included a 2-0 triumph over their upcoming rivals, Nottingham Forest.
This contributes to Forest’s dismal recent head-to-head record against United, having secured just one win in their last 14 encounters (D1, L12). Their most recent victory at Old Trafford was in 1994 (L7 since)—a daunting history for Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad as they make their second trip to Manchester this week, hoping for an improved result after suffering a 3-0 loss to Man City on Wednesday.
Although this outcome alone may not cause significant concern, it marks Nottingham Forest’s third loss in four Premier League games (W1). Their abilities are being challenged with a third successive away fixture against a team from the division’s traditional ‘big-six’. This partially explains why Forest might endure three consecutive away losses for the first time in a year if they are defeated here.
Players to watch: In the early stages of his time at United, Amorim has shown a tendency for squad rotation, sparing few players. However, captain Bruno Fernandes might be an exception; he both scored and assisted in last season’s equivalent match and has only lost one of his seven personal head-to-head encounters (W6). Former United player Anthony Elanga has yet to find the net for Nottingham Forest this season, but he did assist in his team’s victory away at Liverpool earlier.
Hot stat: Manchester United have failed to score in five of their 14 Premier League matches this season – only Everton, with seven such instances, have a worse record.
