Anthony Elanga scored the only goal against his former club as Nottingham Forest beat Manchester United 1-0 at the City Ground in the Premier League.

Having booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals with a penalty shoot-out victory over Brighton on Saturday, Nuno Espirito Santo's men took another big step towards Champions League qualification on Tuesday.

It was a trademark counter-attacking goal after just five minutes that proved decisive. After a Bruno Fernandes corner was cleared, Elanga carried the ball from deep inside his own half to the United penalty area, then stroked his finish into the bottom-right corner.

Casemiro nodded wide from another corner as United sought a response, with Diogo Dalot's glancing header then bouncing off the bar from a third Fernandes set-piece.

United continued to dominate proceedings after half-time without carving out clear-cut opportunities, leading them to introduce Harry Maguire as an auxiliary striker late on.

And after fellow substitute Mason Mount had curled wide from his first involvement, Maguire saw two golden chances fall his way.

He diverted Patrick Dorgu's dangerous cross away from goal with an awkward header, then deep into stoppage time, he was denied by a heroic goal-line clearance from Murillo.

While United stay 13th in the table, the victory takes third-placed Forest eight points clear of Chelsea and nine above Manchester City, both of whom are yet to play this week. 

Data debrief: Elanga haunts wasteful visitors

Along with Brighton's Danny Welbeck, Elanga is the second player to score a Premier League goal against United this season having previously represented them in the competition.

It is the third time two former Red Devils have scored against them in the same Premier League campaign, after 1997-98 (Mark Hughes, Dion Dublin) and 2020-21 (Wilfried Zaha, Welbeck).

But United only had themselves to blame after failing to convert with any of their 24 shots – their most in any Premier League game without scoring since September 2021 against Aston Villa (28).

It is also their joint-most on record (from 2003-04) in an away game without scoring in the competition (also 24 at West Ham in December 2006, and at Portsmouth in both April 2004 and October 2004).

Forest, meanwhile, have kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this campaign, more than any other side and their joint-most in any season in the competition (also 1994-95).