Manchester United easily defeated Nottingham Forest by a 3-0 scoreline in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals.
United cruised to a comfortable victory thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Wout Weghorst in the first half and a late Bruno Fernandes goal.
Erik ten Hag was pleased that his team maintained control of the contest for the full 90 minutes. Forest had a goal disallowed, and they were unable to create anything special other than the lost goal. While speaking with the club’s official website, the Dutch boss said:
“I’m happy – happy with the performance. I think over 90 minutes we controlled the game and there was one moment which could have changed the game.”
“That is what we have to be aware of – that is where we have to improve. But I think overall it was a good performance from our first team and now the first leg is done, with still one leg to go.”
Forest missed a few good scoring opportunities despite United scoring twice before halftime, but they did have a few good chances.
Sam Surridge thought he had tied the score, but the offside call ruled out the goal. The visiting team needed this wake-up call because they were powerless to stop Forest’s counterattacks.
Brennan Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White both had good opportunities and were quite active. The Red Devils played with more confidence in the midfield region after the break. Off the bench, Fred was brought in to add extra grit and ferocity.
Christian Eriksen was able to rest in the second half after revitalising the midfield. United will host Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the match on February 1. Forest’s three-goal deficit means that they can only advance to the championship game by a miracle.
