Squawka
·7 December 2024
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·7 December 2024
Manchester United‘s recent rut under Ruben Amorim continued as they were beaten 3-2 by Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Red Devils tasted defeat for the first time under Amorim in midweek as they were beaten by Arsenal. There will have been hopes for a quick turnaround against a Forest side that had been struggling for form.
But Nottingham Forest secured their first league win at Old Trafford since 1994, moving up to fifth in the table. Forest struck early in both halves through Nikola Milenkovic and Morgan Gibbs-White, either side of Rasmus Hojlund’s equaliser. They’re the first side to score inside the opening two minutes of both the first and second half of a Premier League game against Man United.
Chris Wood added a third for Forest, with Bruno Fernandes’ strike proving only to be a consolation. It’s just the second time Amorim has lost consecutive top-flight matches in his managerial career, while Nuno Espirito Santo is just the second Nottingham Forest manager to win his first two league games against Man United after Fred Earp in 1909-10.
Andre Onana: 35%
He’s been more reliable this season, but this was a game to forget for Andre Onana. The Man United shot-stopper did not live up to that name, failing to make a single save — conceded with all three shots on target he faced. He also made an error leading to a goal, easily beaten by Gibbs-White and then suffering a miscommunication with Martinez for Woods’ header. Conceded 1.84 more goals than he should have.
Leny Yoro: 52%
Leny Yoro was making his first league start for Man United, and it was a tough one. He was beaten in the air by Wood for the striker’s goal, not really putting up much of a challenge. In fact, he contested three aerial duels and didn’t win a single one. But he did completed 42 of his 44 passes while boasting a retention rate of 95.65%. Came off in the 66th minute, replaced by Noussair Mazraoui.
Matthijs de Ligt: 57%
The Dutchman won all of his duels, including two aerial duels, and completed 88.1% of his passes. And he blocked two shots. But he was still part of the defence that conceded three goals before coming off in the 65th minute.
Lisandro Martinez: 53%
Lisandro Martinez won possession eight times in the defensive third and made 10 ball recoveries, which will help his score. But his game will be remembered by the role he played in two goals. He didn’t even challenge Milenkovic for the opener, despite marking the tall centre-back. The Argentine then shepherded Wood’s goal into the net, allowing it to squeeze just inside the post.
Amad Diallo: 58%
Another game in his new position, Amad Diallo set up Man United’s second with a good ball to Fernandes. He also completed three take-ons and had nine touches in the opposition box. But he didn’t do enough defensively, winning just one tackle and making one interception.
Kobbie Mainoo: 57%
Kobbie Mainoo was pretty weak on the ball, with four unsuccessful touches — losing possession due to bad control. His retention rate of 84.13% was also lower than Man United would have wanted. But he was a decent passer and won seven duels overall, including three aerial duels.
Manuel Ugarte: 64%
Manuel Ugarte was one of Man United’s better players on the night, though that wasn’t too hard. The Uruguayan won two tackles and two aerial duels, the former the joint-most among his teammates. Ugarte won seven duels in total and made six ball recoveries. He was also reliable on the ball completing 93.18% of his passes from open play. But he was taken off with just under 15 minutes to go as Man United needed a more attacking threat.
Diogo Dalot: 57%
The Portuguese full-back made two interceptions and won two tackles, with no Man United player topping him for either metric. At the other end of the pitch, Diogo Dalot had five touches in the opposition box and one shot on target, though that was tame and easily saved late on.
Bruno Fernandes: 66%
Bruno Fernandes was involved at both ends of the pitch. He gave the ball away in the build up to Forest’s second goal, passing to Hudson-Odoi. But he then gave Man United hope in scoring their second. Overall, the Man United captain hit the target with two of his three shots, while also creating two chances and having 10 penalty area entries. Fernandes was taken off in the 76th minute despite Man United still trailing.
Alejandro Garnacho: 62%
Alejandro Garnacho looked dangerous during his 59 minutes on the pitch, hitting the target with both of his shots. One led to Man United scoring. He also created one chance and had five touches in the opposition box, joint-most among Man United players at the time of his substitution. Garnacho was fouled in the final third twice and created one big chance.
Rasmus Hojlund: 67%
Rasmus Hojlund equalised, reacting quickest after Sels saved Garnacho’s shot. But with his other shot he missed a big chance. The Dane had four touches in the opposition box overall, with a non-penalty xGOT of 0.99. Unfortunately, this was the first Premier League game he has scored in and gone on to lose.
Matz Sels: 55%
Made five saves, four of which were from shots inside the box. But he still conceded two goals and had -0.18 goals prevented. Matz Sels did well to take any momentum out of Man United with long goal kicks.
Ola Aina: 55%
It was an interesting game for Forest’s full-backs. Ola Aina completed three take-ons and had five final third entries, but he was a lot more involved defensively. The Nigerian won possession five times in the defensive third and made two clearances. He would have liked to do better than his one interception, with no tackles won.
Nikola Milenkovic: 57%
Nikola Milenkovic put Forest ahead in the opening minutes with his first goal for the club. But, of course, his job is to defend. He made six clearances, the second-most of any player on the pitch, and blocked three shots. Milenkovic also won all four of his aerial duels, understandably dominating in the air.
Murillo: 48%
Murillo finished the game with seven clearances, more than any other player. But his defensive involvement was limited otherwise, with no aerial duels won and just two ball recoveries. Man United also had 10 shots from inside the box, with Murillo taking a portion of the blame alongside the rest of the defence.
Neco Williams: 52%
Neco Williams won two tackles and made one interception, while also making three clearances. But he was still part of a defence that faced seven shots on target and conceded two goals. The Welshman was also booked late on for a cynical tackle after being beaten by Amad Diallo. Was hardly involved at the other end of the pitch.
Elliot Anderson: 54%
Elliot Anderson set up Forest’s opener from corner, but he generally wasn’t very good with the ball at his feet. He completed just 68.18% of his open-play passes and had a retention rate of 66.67%. But defensively he did well making eight ball recoveries, two interceptions and winning two tackles.
Ryan Yates: 55%
At the base of Nottingham Forest’s midfield, Ryan Yates did not make an interception or win any tackles, but he did win four fouls. The midfielder also won four aerial duels, with no Forest player winning more. But he was sloppy on the ball, completing only 80% of his open-play passes and a retention rate of 87.18%.
Jota Silva: 58%
Jota Silva ran his socks off for Forest, putting everything on the line. He even ended up with a bloody mouth after taking an accidental elbow from De Ligt. In terms of actually influencing the game, Jota had four touches in the opposition box and created one chance that Murillo put wide. He also won two tackles.
Morgan Gibbs-White: 77%
Morgan Gibbs-White was the man of the moment for Nottingham Forest. He put them 2-1 up in the opening minutes of the second half before setting up their third with a wonderful cross. The English midfielder also won possession five times and was involved in one high turnover, helping Forest keep the pressure on. Espirito Santo will have loved this performance.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 59%
Callum Hudson-Odoi was the recipient of Fernandes’ errant pass, setting up Gibbs-White for Forest’s second. But he wasn’t involved too much in probing the Man United defence, with just two penalty area entries. Hudson-Odoi did, however, complete 13 passes in the final third and two high turnovers.
Chris Wood: 68%
Chris Wood became Forest’s all-time top scorer in Premier League history in the second half, scoring his 25th goal with a looping header. That was one of four aerial duels Wood won and his only shot on target, from two efforts in total. The New Zealand striker had just two touches in the opposition box and 14 touches overall. But he gave Forest the moment they needed.
Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.
We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.
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