Nottingham Forest fell to their fourth defeat of the season against Manchester United on Sunday as their winless run continues.
Steve Cooper ’s side would have hoped to produce an important result at the City Ground in their fight against relegation but their resolute defending came undone courtesy of Antony’s first half goal. The Reds had spells of pressure to assert themselves in the game but Diogo Dalot ensured victory for the away side, 14 minutes from time.
Before Man United had opened the scoring, Forest had seen appeals for a penalty waved away, despite the ball striking Harry Maguire’s arm, as it proved not to be Forest’s afternoon. It means the team have gone 10 games without a win and remain in the bottom three on goal difference.
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Here’s what the national media made of Forest’s defeat to Manchester United:
BBC Sport, Joe Rindl
Forest boss Steve Cooper stressed his side need to quickly turn results around, with the East Midlands outfit now winless across their past 10 Premier League matches. They were 13th after their last victory when they beat Leeds United 1-0 on 5 February.
They had chances in the first half with Taiwo Awoniyi seeing one effort blocked by Aaron Wan-Bissaka and another fly off target from a strong position. Forest also had a penalty shout in the 19th minute when an in-swinging corner struck the arm of United defender Harry Maguire, but the video assistant referee chose not to overturn referee Simon Hooper's non-penalty decision.
With United 1-0 in front, Felipe headed over from a corner in the 73rd minute, but in truth Forest always looked second best in front of their home supporters. They face Liverpool in their next match on Saturday where they will be desperately hoping to end their winless run.
The Telegraph, John Percy
Forest’s head coach Steve Cooper continues to face an uncertain future. It is now 10 matches without a win and the club remains underneath the dreaded dotted line.
Evangelos Marinakis, the club’s owner, was not present at the City Ground but his demand for results to improve “immediately” has not produced a reaction. Despite the criticism which has been hurled in his direction, Marinakis has shown patience so far but Cooper’s position will once again be thrown into the spotlight after another defeat.
Forest are also struggling with many injuries and face Liverpool at Anfield next weekend. They have now lost four times against United this season without scoring a goal, and Cooper was angry with the decision not to award Forest a penalty or dismiss Maguire for a second caution over the apparent handball incident.
The Mirror, Jacob Leeks
Forest boss Steve Cooper is very much on the hotseat following his side's defeat to United. The reverse left his side in the relegation zone, though they are only behind Everton on goal difference.
Even so, they have now gone 10 games without a win in the top-flight, with this defeat being their third successive loss. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis recently gave Cooper his public backing.
But that backing may be withdrawn amid the team's atrocious form, which has put them at real risk of going straight back down the Championship. Though they put in a bright performance against United, Forest's battle for survival is set to be nail-biting.
Sky Sports, Peter Smith
Forest have now lost 10 times in a row to Man Utd across all competitions, including four times this season - but it could have been different had a VAR call gone in their favour in the first half. They will feel hard done by for not being awarded a penalty with the scores at 0-0 when the ball struck an arm of the nervy Harry Maguire in the box.
There were good chances in the opening 45 for Taiwo Awoniyi, too, with one shot cleared off the line and another blazed over the bar, before Scott McKenna forced the ball onto a post. Felipe then headed over from two yards in the second half just before Dalot's clincher.
But Forest are now without a win in 10 and remain third-bottom. They are in the relegation zone instead of Everton because of goal difference.
Daily Mail, Craig Hope
Come the end, Manchester United’s victory felt quite routine. Perhaps that was because, by then, we had watched them dominate Forest for the best part of an hour, and the margin of their win should have been far more. An XG of 3.5 and 22 shots on goal tells you that much.
If Forest do survive on goal difference, however, they should retrospectively pay Keylor Navas his win bonus for this game. The on-loan Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper was like the proverbial cat at times, and it was a miracle he only spent two of his nine lives.
Forest boss Steve Cooper, meanwhile, is clinging to the last of his. This was a 10th game without victory and, for the first time, there were home boos on the banks of the River Trent. Maybe it will be that the ripple effect is enough to see Cooper go under.
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