Premier League – Another Away Defeat, This Time in Nottingham

Manchester United traveled to the East Midlands of England earlier today for a Premier League match against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. United were looking to continue their winning momentum having beaten Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, while Forest were also looking to continue their winning form under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. For a team like Forest in a relegation battle, every point they can scrape matters. The points mattered for United and manager Erik ten Hag as well, but for the visitors it was more about putting in a competent performance and playing with the consistency that has eluded them this season.

The atmosphere inside the City Ground was electric and high energy from the start, although the play on the pitch in the first half from both sides was decidedly dull. Forest were probably slightly better on the balance of things, mainly because United were absolutely anemic in attack. They put together some decent moves towards the end of the half, but the shots on goal were few and far between. Forest failed to score as well, but they looked much more cohesive when in possession. For the umpteenth time this season, United looked clueless in attack. A key substitution was made at halftime by ETH, with defensive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo being replaced by fellow midfielder Scott McTominay. More on this substitution below.

The second half was much more high-energy and uptempo from both sides. Forest grew into the game considerably well, likely buoyed by their home support. The opening goal came from midfielder Nicolas Dominguez, who slotted home past United keeper Andre Onana on the hour mark. Hard to say Forest didn’t deserve it, but the defending from United was very poor. As a defensive midfielder, McTominay was responsible for defending the edge of the box. For whatever reason though, he wasn’t there and Dominguez was given an opening from which to shoot. Onana maybe could have done better with his positioning, but McTominay has to be in position to make a clearance in situations like this one.

I was resigned to another away defeat for United given their lack of urgency going forward, but the Red Devils responded a bit (finally) after going down 1-0. Left back Diogo Dalot struck the post after a good move, and United got an equalizer on 78 minutes thanks to some good pressing from winger Alejandro Garnacho and a bad mistake by Forest keeper Matt Turner. Turner had been having issues playing the ball out from the back for most of the half, and Garnacho jumped on one of his many unconvincing passes. He won the ball about 20 yards out from goal, after which he found winger/forward Marcus Rashford to his left. The Forest defense was scrambling to get back, and Rashford was able to curve a shot along the ground past Turner for 1-1. The goal came about more because of the mistake from Turner than anything else, but of course it counted all the same. I would have been more than pleased with a 1-1 given how the match had gone, as well. Well done to Rashford for finishing clinically despite not being in good scoring form this season.

Unfortunately, United’s defense was undone again just four minutes later by attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. United were pushing for a winner, but were caught out on a swift counter-attack organized by winger (and former United player) Anthony Elanga. Elanga brought the ball forward before centering it along the ground for Gibbs-White, who curled a spectacular shot around center-back Jonny Evans that crept inside Onana’s left-hand post. Again, a fine move and finish from Forest, but where was the marking from United? Evans and fellow center back Raphael Varane weren’t communicating properly, and McTominay was again nowhere to be found when he was supposed to be covering the edge of the box. Gibbs-White is a talented player, and he was given far too much room to shoot. 2-1 to Forest.

United pushed again for another equalizer and were aided by a staggering 10 minutes of stoppage time, but the best they could muster was a deflected effort from midfielder Bruno Fernandes that was saved by Turner. A few more routine saves from the American keeper helped Forest out the rest of the match, and the Garibaldi Reds 2-1 winners on the day. It was their first ever victory over United at the City Ground, and it was a crucial three points towards their survival at the end of the season. All credit to Forest and Nuno, but United were bad yet again.

Frustratingly, there was again a lack of urgency and desire from the players until they were already down 1-0. I don’t know why they don’t start trying until they’re already losing. Another big factor was ETH’s initial tactics and substitutions. He insists on playing Garnacho on the left wing, with opposite winger Antony dos Santos occupying the right wing. This is a good idea if both are encouraged to cut inside and get shots away from distance, but teams have figured out that tactic and they know how to prevent it. Antony in particular was poor today. It’s not a coincidence that United improved when he was taken off and replaced by fellow winger Amad Diallo. Antony has scored just one goal in 33 matches in 2023, and he has not justified his £85 million price tag. I don’t know why ETH simply doesn’t swap Garnacho and Antony so they can ping crosses in with their preferred foot. The “cutting inside to shoot” tactic isn’t working and hasn’t worked, so why not try something different?

Further, taking off Mainoo for McTominay was utterly baffling from ETH. Mainoo has been one of our better midfielders since breaking into the first team earlier this season, and he was doing fairly well at helping to control the midfield. So why was he taken off? There was no injury or yellow card situation for him, but ETH still elected to take him off at halftime anyway. As has been discussed before on this blog, McTominay is not a defensive midfielder. He is simply not good at it and is much more suited to attacking than the defending. It could be argued that McTominay was at fault for both Forest goals due to being out of position both times. United may still have lost anyway, but I think Mainoo would have done much better at helping the defense than McTominay did.

This is the first match where I’ve really questioned what ETH is trying to do. He needs to stop trying to make the inverted winger tactic work, and he really needs to ensure that McTominay is not playing as a defensive midfielder. Is it stubbornness from the Dutchman? Lack of options? I know the injuries have been bad this season, but I think United could have nicked a draw today had Mainoo been on the pitch longer. ETH really needs to re-evaluate his tactics, and the team selection needs further scrutiny as well. Put Antony on the left, Garnacho on the right, and stick a center forward between the two of them with Bruno in behind. Let’s get a lot more players into the box and have the wingers play crosses in to them. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there needs to be a lot more desire and drive from a good portion of this United team.

United remain 7th in the Premier League table, but could fall as far as 9th once Brighton and Newcastle play their games in hand tomorrow. Next up, it’s a short trip to Wigan, England for a match in the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic. The FA Cup is our last chance at a trophy this season, and ETH really needs a victory there to restore some of the supporters’ faith in him. If they lose to a lower league side in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, the seat underneath ETH will become very hot indeed.

Glazers Out!

Premier League: A Comfortable Win Over Forest

Manchester United travelled to the East Midlands of England earlier today for a Premier League match with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. This was a match of great significance at both ends of the table. United could secure sole possession of 3rd place with a win or a draw, while Forest could help themselves get out of the relegation zone with a win or draw. Forest may have fancied themselves to nick a result going into the match, as United were without several star players due to injury. Further, United’s back line was a makeshift one. The center back pairing of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof is a familiar one to supporters, but they have not played together much this season. Injuries to regular left backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia also meant that Diogo Dalot (normally a right back) was required to play on the left hand side of defense. Forest and manager Steve Cooper were also without several important players.

United were the better team almost straight away. Winger Jadon Sancho was denied by Forest keeper Keylor Navas just south of two minutes into the game. The midfield was playing extremely well, particularly Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes. Even though there are injuries in defense and attack, the midfield three of Bruno, Eriksen, and Casemiro is an absolute joy to watch. All three of them are very calm in possession and are never rushed when making passes. They always seem to know what to do and when to do it. Bruno and Eriksen were both making forward runs from the middle of the park, and Bruno was pinging passes all over the pitch. Forest had a half chance or two from set pieces, but nothing clear-cut. Winger Antony dos Santos was also in fine form for United, and it was he who got the visiting side’s opening goal on 32 minutes.

Navas had also produced a series of fine saves up until that point, but there was nothing he could do about this one. Striker Anthony Martial stole the ball off a Forest player high up the pitch after they dawdled on it, and the loose ball rolled straight to Bruno. Martial had intelligently made a run towards the goal, and Bruno hit it straight back to him. Martial got a powerful shot off with his left foot about 10 yards from goal, but Navas did well to parry it away. Unfortunately for Forest though, the rebound fell directly into the path of Antony who poked home from close range. As any football fan would say, it’s always dangerous to give the ball away in your own defensive third. United were very quick to punish that transgression, despite the big save from Navas. 1-0 to United!

Forest were then presented with a decent chance about 10 minutes later when a heavy touch/attempted clearance from Dalot allowed Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi to get a shot away from just inside the box, but he blazed it over the top of keeper David De Gea’s goal. Bruno saw his header from a good position go wide in stoppage time, but the first half ended at 1-0. A dominant half from United, but there were one or two worries in defense.

Bruno was at it again in the second half. A short corner was played back to him, and he decided to take a shot at goal from an unforgiving angle. The shot was whipped in with pace from the left side of the box, only for Navas to get a hand to it and deflect the ball onto the crossbar. It bounced away harmlessly. Such was the power on the shot that it left the crossbar rattling, so credit to Navas for doing enough to keep it out. Antony then went wide again from the resulting corner. Navas then had to get down to his right to keep a shot from Bruno out on the 60 minute mark. Eriksen forced Navas into an easier but nonetheless important save on 63 minutes as well. It was just wave after wave of United attacks, but Navas was single-handedly (pardon the pun) keeping Forest in the match. The best chance for the Garibaldi Reds was on 73 minutes when a corner taken by midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White was met at De Gea’s near post by center back Felipe, but his header went over the bar from close range. A let-off, most assuredly.

United sealed all three points on 76 minutes however, and the goal came from the unlikely source of Dalot. A neat passing move through the middle saw the ball fall to Antony on the right wing, and he used his immense dribbling skill to run with the ball towards the middle of the box. The Forest center backs came out to challenge him, which allowed Antony to spot the run of Dalot from his left back position in behind them and through the middle. Antony fed him a sublime ball, and Dalot took a touch to dig the ball out from under his feet before firing past an onrushing Navas for 2-0! Dalot hasn’t scored in any competition for United in 5 years, and this was his first goal in the Premier League. He celebrated wildly, and the travelling support for United was right there with him. Dalot did well with his run and finish, but credit also needs to go to Antony for his run and pass, along with the tactics of manager Erik ten Hag. ETH has used the fullbacks in the center of pitch in attack several times this season, and it’s very difficult for teams to defend when the players are so adept at executing it. Normally full backs are out wide or back defending, but having them run through the middle into the box provides an extra man in that area, and defenders can sometimes be unclear as to who they are supposed to mark. That’s exactly what happened here! The run of Antony pulled the defenders out of position and Dalot was in the perfect spot to punish them for it.

The match ended without too much further drama. Forest knew they were beaten once the second goal went in, and United played possession for the final 20 minutes or so. The whistle blew at full time and United won 2-0! While there is no such thing as a routine win in the Prem, this was about as close it gets. The Red Devils were dominant in almost every aspect of the game, and if not for Navas it could have been 4 or 5 goals for them today. United moved into sole possession of third place in the Prem, three points clear of Newcastle and six points clear of Tottenham with a game in hand. There are still 8 matches and 24 points up for grabs, but United look very strong to finish in the top-4. ETH will be happy with his side’s clinical display after the collapse in mid-week versus Sevilla. Fantastic matches from Bruno, Martial, Antony, and Dalot. De Gea is now in the lead for the Golden Gloves too, awarded to the keeper who registers the most clean sheets each season.

It gives me no pleasure or joy to state this as Forest are my second team, but they are in trouble. They still have a decent chance at avoiding relegation due to the poor form of the teams around them in the table, but today was a good opportunity to get a result given United’s injuries. But it just simply didn’t happen. The club’s owner Evangelos Marinakis has spent quite a lot of money in the hopes his team stays up, but they’ve gone through 3 different sporting directors already this season. I firmly believe that turbulence in the offices leads to turbulence on the pitch. They’ve brought in a ton of seemingly-quality players, but all of these new faces means that they need time to adjust to one another. The chemistry isn’t there in attack. There’s also a question of complacency among the players at times, so Cooper needs to rally his men for the final push. They showed signs of life at times in this match, but in the end United’s talent in midfield won the day. Realistically, if Forest can beat bottom-dwellers Southampton on May 8 and then scrape a win from one of the other matches, they just might stay up. It’s going to be a nervy run-in, but all is not lost despite the bleak outlook.

United next travel to Spain on Thursday for the return leg of their Europa League quarterfinal with Sevilla. After that they return to England, but they will head south to Wembley for their FA Cup Semifinal against Brighton & Hove Albion next Sunday. It’s the business end of the season, so let’s hope they get some business done!

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

League Cup: Solid Victory at the City Ground – One Foot in the Final

Manchester United travelled to the East Midlands of England today for the first leg of a semifinal matchup in the League Cup with Nottingham Forest at the historic City Ground. I am not sure why the League/Carabao/EFL/Whatever The Hell It’s Called Now Cup has a two-legged semifinal, aside from the obvious financial windfall. In any event, the winner will be whichever side scores more aggregate goals over the two fixtures. This was United’s first time travelling to Nottingham in 24 years, having beaten them in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Boxing Day. The managers of both clubs – Steve Cooper and Erik ten Hag – knew that the League Cup was their best chance at a trophy this season, having made it so far already. Both managers fielded strong teams as a result.

United were off and running almost straight away, with in-form striker Marcus Rashford notching the opening goal just six minutes into the match. United were playing the ball out from the back after a throw-in, with midfielder Casemiro finding Rashford in space on the left wing about 15 yards inside his own half. Rashford picked up the ball and immediately ran forward with it. He was unchallenged until the edge of the penalty area, when he cut inside two Forest defenders with a nifty move. He then took a touch to steady himself before firing a low shot past Forest keeper Wayne Hennessey (deputizing for United loanee Dean Henderson) at his near post. It was a truly amazing run from Rashford, although he faced little to no resistance from the Forest defense. Take nothing away from his run though – he is simply unstoppable right now and looks like he’s going to score in every game!

Forest steadied themselves a bit after that thanks to a change in formation, which brought an end to United’s dominance on the ball. The Garibaldi Reds were very quick to break out of their defensive shape once they were on the ball, and they almost punished United when striker Sam Surridge had the ball in the back of keeper David De Gea’s net about halfway through the first half. It was an excellent move from Forest that had the Red Devils center backs reeling, but a VAR check showed that Surridge was inches offside when the ball was passed to him. It was a very close call, and in the days before VAR it would probably would have stood. A tough break for Forest and a wake-up call for United.

Forest continued to play well, with players such as striker Gustavo Scarpa and winger/forward Brennan Johnson causing problems for the United back line. Center back Victor Lindelof played rather precariously at times today as a result of their efforts. United landed a massive body blow however on the stroke of half time, and it was thanks to our new signing, striker Wout Weghorst. The ball was played up the pitch quickly by United from a goal kick, and it was eventually played to winger Antony dos Santos. Santos took a touch that popped the ball into the air and he hit towards goal on the volley, but it was saved by Hennessey. Unlucky for him though, the rebound fell straight to Weghorst who made no mistake with his powerful poacher-like finish over Hennessey and into the goal. Weghorst has done well defensively for United so far since his arrival, but we signed him to score goals, and he did that today. Great positioning, great awareness, great finish. A truly predatory goal from the lanky Dutchman that opened his United scoring account. 2-0 at halftime!

Many would have thought that 2-0 would be a good enough result for United even though we were only at halftime, but I wanted another goal to really seal the result and give United breathing room in the return fixture next week. Forest at the City Ground are never going to give up on a match just because they are losing. The second half was decidedly less tense and energetic than the first though, and on the balance of play you would have picked United to get a third over Forest getting their first. ETH was also making substitutions as the half wore on, including taking off Rashford, Antony, and midfielder Christian Eriksen. Eriksen did manage to hit the crossbar with an impressive long-range shot before coming off, though.

United sealed the result and maybe the tie on 89 minutes. Midfielder Bruno Fernandes played a ball straight forward ahead of him into the path of substitute winger Facundo Pellestri, but the Forest defense won it off of him inside the penalty area. They couldn’t clear it though, and it fell to fellow substitute winger Anthony Elanga. Elanga was not in a position to shoot due to the wall of bodies around him, but he had the vision to find Bruno on his follow up run with a lofted pass. The ball fell just as Bruno arrived, and he powered home a low and skidding shot past Hennessey and into the left hand side of the net from about 16 yards or so. Well done to Elanga for keeping the play alive after the initial chance had gone, and well done to Bruno for his run and finish. 3-0, and the result was in the bag!

Forest now face an Everest-caliber mountain to climb in the return leg at Old Trafford next Wednesday. Not only do they have to score three goals against a stingy United defense, they cannot let United score either. I do feel they can achieve either a clean sheet or scoring three, but I do not feel they can do both simultaneously. United now have the luxury of perhaps rotating and resting some players in midweek next week, given that all they really need is a 0-0 draw. In the end the score line was a little flattering on United given the struggles in the first half, but Weghorst’s goal right on halftime was a backbreaker for Forest. Well done to him, Rashford, Bruno, and center back Lisandro Martinez for their excellent games today. United are within touching distance of a Wembley final for the first time since 2017!

United return to Old Trafford at the weekend for a 4th Round FA Cup tie against Reading on Saturday. Anything can happen in the FA Cup, but a victory is expected.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

Premier League: United Defeat Forest at Old Trafford

The English domestic leagues all resumed yesterday on Boxing Day, but United’s first league fixture post-World Cup was today at Old Trafford against Nottingham Forest. Forest, newly promoted from the Championship last season, visited Old Trafford for the first time 24 years (almost exactly) today. As United were heavy favorites, Forest would have been more than happy with an away draw. Given the severe wind and rain falling on Manchester before and during the match, a draw could have very much been on the table.

A brief personal aside before the recap – no matter the outcome of this match, I wasn’t going to be too disappointed. The Red Devils are my team of course and I always want them to win, but I definitely have a soft spot for Forest. I know having a second team is sometimes frowned upon giving the tribalism of club football, but I have close personal connections to the club through my grandparents. I was also fortunate enough to take a tour of the City Ground in 2007, and I have a lot of respect for the prestigious history of the East Midlands club.

That said, this was a match dominated by United from almost start to finish. They were on the ball more, had better chances, and ran the press very effectively today. Striker Marcus Rashford opened the scoring on 19 minutes, and it was a rare set-piece goal for United! Before midfielder Christian Eriksen played the ball in, about 4-5 United players all went and stood near the back post. Forest’s defenders naturally went with them, and that created a lot of space in front of the right side of the goal. Eriksen played a neat pass towards the center of the area, which Rashford ran onto with no one around him. He hit the ball first time with a deft touch that re-directed the ball across the goal and over Forest keeper Wayne Hennessey’s head. A rehearsed and executed set piece is always great to see, and it was doubly good given that United haven’t scored many from set pieces in recent seasons.

Forest’s damp misery was compounded just three minutes later, when a classic United counter-attack down the left hand side saw striker Anthony Martial net his 3rd goal of the season. The ball was won by midfielder Casemiro just outside United’s own penalty area, and it was very quickly played up the left wing. Rashford got on the end of an aerial ball over the top of the defense down the left, and danced about with it for a second or two on the edge of the area. He found Martial in a central position with space, so he played a simple ball along the ground to him. Martial nutmegged a Forest defender with his shot, and while it was close to Hennessey the nutmeg seemed to wrong-foot him somehow. He completely misjudged the path of the shot, and could only get a weak right hand to it before the ball went in. A bad error on his part. Hennessey is not a bad keeper, but it was clear that Forest were missing their normal starter Dean Henderson. Interestingly, the only reason Henderson couldn’t play today was due to the rules surrounding the loaning of players. Henderson is on loan to Forest from United this season, which renders him ineligible to play against his parent club.

Forest grew into the game a bit and won themselves a set piece about thirty minutes in, and midfielder Ryan Yates thought he had notched one back for his side when his header from a set piece. He did well to lose his marker Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and he appeared push the ball home with his leg past United keeper David De Gea. There was a lengthy VAR check however, and unluckily for Forest the goal was ruled out for offside. Yates was onside, but after his first touch replays showed that the ball actually came off the leg of striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who was indeed in an offside position after Yates’s first touch. Unlucky for Forest and for neutrals, but the right call nevertheless. Neither side created many more chances before halftime and the teams went in to towel themselves off with the score 2-0 to United.

The second half continued much in the same fashion. United were dominant in possession and passing, and they were creating the better chances. Hennessey had steadied himself a bit though, and he produced some fine saves from United winger Antony dos Santos and midfielder Bruno Fernandes to keep his side in the match. Forest were still rather woeful going forward, but they kept United at bay for large portions of the second half. They did fashion the occasional corner, but De Gea and the United back line were never seriously concerned.

United got their third and the game-sealer on 87 minutes. Forest were attempting to break out from the back, and the ball was given away just outside their own area. It’s never good to give the ball away and it’s borderline suicidal against a team in good form like United is. The ball was recovered by Casemiro, who took some neat touches around Forest defenders before finding substitute midfielder Fred with a low ball across the face of goal. Fred was largely unmarked, and while he isn’t known for finishing he did well with this one – firing a shot back across goal into the right hand side of the net that Hennessey had no chance at. A good finish from Fred who was in the right place at the right time. After 5 minutes of stoppage time in which no more major chances were created, the final whistle blew and it finished 3-0.

From United manager Erik ten Hag’s point of view, this was a very good match. Three goals, three points, and clean sheet are never to be complained about. Maybe they should have finished one or two more chances, but that is nitpicking at best. Rashford and Casemiro are on form, our counter-press was run extremely well, and we finished the chances we created. Good run outs for players like Donny Van de Beek and Alejandro Garnacho in the second half as well. In short, this was a match United needed to win comfortably, and they did. Casemiro might be the best defensive midfielder in the world! We’ve needed a player like him for so long and it’s great to see him clicking with Eriksen and Bruno. United remain 5th in the Prem, but are a scant 1 point behind Tottenham in 4th with a game in hand.

While a loss is obviously disappointing for Forest, it’s not the end of the world. Their sole and singular goal this season is to survive relegation, and they have already done some good things to prevent that from happening. They will not be relegated just because they lost this match today. They need to focus on beating the other teams in the lower half of the table. If they can consistently get good results against the bottom six or so clubs, they will stay up this season. They are not a bad team, they just played a much better one today. I certainly hope they stay up, and I think they have enough quality to do so.

United next travel to Wolverhampton for a Premier League match against the Wanderers on New Years Eve. Wolves will provide a tougher test than Forest, but three points is still expected.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

A Football Miracle – Nottingham Forest Promoted to the Premier League

Today was the final match of the club season for 2021-2022, and it featured two teams from the Championship pitted against one another at a packed Wembley Stadium for a chance to be promoted to the Premier League. Not only does the Prem bring prestige for a club should they win and be promoted, it also brings the financial reward of at least £170 million via TV revenue. Fulham and Bournemouth had already been promoted, leaving Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United, and Luton Town to fight it out in the Championship playoffs for the final spot. Forest and Huddersfield dispatched Sheffield and Luton respectively about two weeks ago, leaving them to play for the final spot.

Forest were the stronger team for most of the first half. They kept possession well and were the ones asking questions of Huddersfield early on. It was clear that Forest wanted to work the ball down the right hand side, through their talented right wing players like Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson. They created a few good chances and forced a few saves from the Huddersfield keeper, but seemed to be frustrated by the back-5 employed by the Terriers.

A breakthrough came on 43 minutes though, with Forest finally capitalizing on their possession. A ball was clipped into the box high up from the left hand side by midfielder (and Manchester United loanee) James Garner, with the intended target being his fellow midfielder Ryan Yates. Yates took a swing at the ball and appeared to miss, only for it to come off the knee of Huddersfield defender Levi Colwill who was closely marking him. The ball took a wicked deflection and flew into the net, sending the 40,000 or so Forest supporters in attendance into ecstasy. It’s true that there was a bit of luck to the goal, but any footballer will tell you that it doesn’t matter how the ball goes in – as long as it does. Forest scoring just before halftime when Huddersfield had defended well up until that point was probably mentally debilitating as well, especially because it was an own goal. Colwill in particular was probably beside himself, and understandably so.

The second half saw Huddersfield grow into the game more, and they started creating some of their own chances as well. Forest are a well-organized side defensively though, and there always seemed to be a defender on cue to clear the ball just when things started to look dangerous. The second half was most notable however for two controversial penalty decisions from referee John Moss and VAR. For me, the first incident, where Forest defender Jack Colback made contact on the ankle of Huddersfield left back Harry Toffolo in the box, was not a penalty at all. Yes there was contact, but the Tofollo was already heading to the ground of his own volition when the contact was made. It was a dive into contact, and thusly it was correct that no penalty was given. VAR confirmed Moss’s no-call.

The second one was much closer in terms of it being an actual penalty. I don’t remember the names of the players involved, but fairly late on in the match a Huddersfield player went down in the box after a clumsy challenge from a Forest defender, who slid in slightly from behind and made contact with the attacking player’s leg. Again though, Moss was unmoved by the penalty appeals. There was again an indication that the Terriers forward was already going down before contact was made, but I have seen penalties given in this situation. For whatever reason though, Moss did not indicate for a penalty and VAR was not consulted. Much like the goal, it was a lucky break for Forest. Sometimes in big finals like this one though, a bit of luck is needed.

After what felt like an agonizingly long final 20 minutes or so, Forest held on through a whopping six minutes of stoppage time. Huddersfield only really had one good chance in that time, a scuffed shot wide on 93 minutes. I have to question the lack of urgency that Huddersfield showed today. They were down 1-0 for over 45 minutes but played like it was a level score line for some reason. I didn’t see much consistent tenacity from them today, and I have to wonder why given what was at stake.

But the final whistle eventually rang out around Wembley, and Forest were exuberant. The players collapsed on the pitch in celebration, the fans roared in approval, and manager Steve Cooper looked to be beside himself. 23 years of pain from wallowing in the Championship and League One have come to an end for Nottingham Forest.

Speaking of Cooper, the job he’s done this season for Forest is nothing short of miraculous – hence the title of this post. To put in perspective, Forest were bottom of the Championship after 8 matches played, with a measly 1 point earned. Former manager Chris Houghton was sacked, and Cooper was appointed on September 21, 2021. Since then, Forest have accumulated more points than anyone else in the Championship, and the City Ground became a veritable fortress for the Reds. Cooper helped the Reds gain a phenomenal 79 points over their remaining matches, and they were on the door step of automatic promotion before finishing 4th in the table and qualifying for the playoffs. To get them from the basement and going nowhere to now being promoted borders on the supernatural. Teams that start off that poorly typically do not end up being promoted; not even close.

Not only does the club earn at least £170m thank to promotion, this will be a big economic boost to the city of Nottingham as well. The East Midlands is in desperate need of a financial injection to get their economy going again thanks to the pandemic, and this will help with that. Travelling supporters will be flocking to Nottingham for matches next season, and they will bring with them plenty of spending money. Promotion to the top flight is huge for the pubs, shops, restaurants, and tax revenue generated for the city.

Well done, Forest. Truly well done. But now the hard work begins. The chairman and board of directors need to invest the funds earned today wisely. Who is coming and who is staying will be key topics of discussion over the summer. The goal for next season must be to stay up, at all costs. And frankly, Forest will have to improve to survive the rigors of the Prem. Today though and the coming weeks are for celebration and relaxation. I imagine there will be some supporters who end up in the River Trent tonight!