As Old Trafford emptied, the noise from the away end reverberated around the stadium. Steve Cooper and his Nottingham Forest players were serenaded and applauded off the pitch after they had walked over to acknowledge the travelling fans.
The Reds’ Carabao Cup run might have come to an end. But there was appreciation and pride at having got this far; for having forged new memories to go with the past glories in this particular competition. If you didn’t know any different, you might have thought Forest were the ones who had sealed a place in the final.
Cooper’s side don’t need a trip to Wembley this year to prove they are on an upward trajectory, though. It would have been nice - and getting there was certainly the aim before a ball had been kicked in the last-four - but if there is any sense of disappointment among players, staff or supporters, it shouldn’t linger too long.
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Positives to take
Trying to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Manchester United was a near-impossible task. But the Reds went into Wednesday night’s game with certain objectives in mind. Making sure they showed no signs of a defeatist attitude was one of them.
The main goal was to put in a positive performance, to give a good account of themselves and see where that took them. Not just with a view to trying to force their way into the tie, but also with the bigger picture in mind.
Forest know they need to improve their form on the road in the Premier League. They also know they haven’t always done themselves justice when away to teams at the top end of the table - the likes of United, Manchester City and Arsenal, for instance.
With visits to Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Chelsea to come, as well as trips to Fulham, West Ham United and Aston Villa on the horizon, Cooper’s side can take encouragement from how they did at Old Trafford. They played better than their last visit to this stadium and than in some of their other away games, too.
They put together some promising moments and could (should) have got on the scoresheet at least once. They were generally resolute and disciplined. And for the best part of 70 minutes, they held their own.
In these matches, though, you need to take your chances. The Reds were left to rue not making the most of two good opportunities in the first half. Substitutions for both sides then had an impact after the break, disrupting the visitors’ rhythm, while the hosts were able to call upon the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford - highlighting why Forest needed to bolster their strength in depth during the transfer window.
The Dennis debate
Did Emmanuel Dennis have a good game or not? There seems to be two contrasting sets of opinions. Either way, it’s fair to say, the Reds are yet to see the best of the summer signing.
Compared to some of his previous displays, this was better from the former Watford man. His effort couldn’t be faulted, at least. But he still made far too many simple errors.
Dennis was a late call-up to the XI, brought in when Jesse Lingard injured himself in the warm-up. He has had a month of speculation about his future, and at least seemed to go out determined to prove a point.
A case of trying too hard, maybe? He made a terrific, powerful run early on, which Forest couldn’t make the most of. And he had a good chance to open the scoring just before the break but saw his first-time effort hit Sam Surridge rather than the back of the net.
But then there was the other side of his game where basic passes didn’t come off, a poor touch let him down and sloppy possession was conceded. He is frustrating to watch.
He also looks like a man incredibly low on confidence. And while Cooper singled him out for praise afterwards, with Chris Wood having come in, he faces a fight to get minutes in the second half of the season.
Selection dilemmas
Injuries continue to bite for Forest, and they will hope the problem Lingard suffered isn’t too serious. The business done in the January window means Cooper still has a few headaches, though, as he admitted afterwards. And perhaps a few players had that in mind in Wednesday’s match.
Wayne Hennessey is likely to make way for Keylor Navas, if not against Leeds United at the weekend, then almost certainly at Craven Cottage. He made some fine saves at Old Trafford, though.
Hennessey has been back-up to Dean Henderson, who, in turn, will have to compete with Navas to be first-choice when he returns from injury. Cooper was giving nothing away about how he sees that particular situation when all three goalkeepers are available, or, indeed, beyond the end of this season.
Who starts in midfield will also depend on injuries. Remo Freuler had a particularly good game, while Danilo looked bright again when he came on.
Elsewhere, there was a rare start for Surridge up front. Forcing his way into the XI more regularly will continue to be tough, and he will no doubt feel he should have done better with a chance late on.
Neco Williams, meanwhile, will hope he has given Cooper a problem. He had a decent game at right-back, making a case to keep his place, particularly as Serge Aurier has suffered a drop in form in recent games.
Upward trajectory
Cooper was keen to look at the bigger picture when assessing his side’s cup defeat. As ever, he summed things up perfectly.
“We shouldn't lose sight of the fact we have got to a semi-final,” he said. “How many clubs would have loved to have been on the stage we have been on in the last couple of games?
“It’s the first time in more than 30 years the club has been at this stage. Although it hasn’t gone our way, I’m so pleased that the younger generation of our supporters have been able to walk up to a stadium and see their team in a semi-final for the first time.
“This time last year, we were probably mid-table in the Championship and trying to break into the play-off places. For us to be trying to compete in the Premier League now and get to the semi-final of a major trophy tells us that the club is on an upward projection. We shouldn’t lose sight of that. We’ve got to work even harder every day to try to continue that.”
Forest have come a long way since the Welshman has been in charge. And he continues to stress that they can’t stop now; they need to keep improving, not least to make sure they preserve their Premier League status.
From the moment he walked through the doors, Cooper has spoken about developing an “elite mentality”. He has revived the art of a cup run at a club which became used to such feats in the past but had not walked this particular path for many, many years until his arrival.
A Carabao Cup semi-final this year, quarter-finals of the FA Cup last season to go with promotion. The Reds have indeed come a long way, but Cooper isn’t about to let them stop now.
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