Almost thirty years since Nottingham Forest last claimed three points at Old Trafford in a League meeting, Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United capitulated to a 3-2 defeat.
His side retained plenty of the football throughout, and their efforts to provide a winning tonic for their troubled supporters were evident.
But, on a day when self-destruction was the common denominator, this squad of expensively assembled superstars has again flattered to deceive.
Back-to-back defeats keep the 20-time English champions in 13th, with the lowest points tally after 15 league games since Sir Alex Ferguson’s debut campaign in 1986-87.
A fragility that refuses to leave this Manchester United squad
An inability to rebuff set pieces was the talk of the town following a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Arsenal.
To the dismay of the Old Trafford faithful, Nikola Milenkovic continued the trend after only two minutes with a powerful headed effort from another poorly defended corner kick.
Undeniably, the character of this squad is routinely questioned, particularly throughout the tenure of Erik ten Hag.
But, much to the credit of Amorim’s men, their response was immediate, and a sustained attack was millimetres from the head of Rasmus Hojlund within 60 seconds of falling behind.
Encouraged by the Stretford End, the home side dominated the ball and levelled proceedings after 18 minutes through their number nine.
Manuel Ugarte carried the ball through the centre of the park before slotting a through ball to Alejandro Garnacho, with his effort rebounding to an unmarked Hojlund to slot home.
It was one-way traffic for the following ten minutes, with wave after wave of Red attack peppering the Forest defence from multiple angles.
Against the run of play, the visitors nearly retook the lead after 27 minutes when Jota Silva headed onto the woodwork from another well-worked free-kick routine.
A second corner kick five minutes later was once more inches from beating Andre Onana, with a genuine sense of bemusement amongst everyone in the media area and inside the Theatre of Dreams.
Back-to-back warning shots had invigorated the travelling support, and the confidence of their players was evident.
Ironically, the woodwork denied a Bruno Fernandes set piece moments later after Matz Sels did excellent to get a fingertip on the ball.
The final five minutes of the half were competitive, but 73% possession highlighted the scale of dominance that Amorim had witnessed from his side.
I’ve recently spoken about the positive trait the Portuguese tactician has installed in ensuring his men burst out of the blocks.
On this occasion, his side conceded at the beginning of both halves, with a calamity of errors from Fernandes and Onana allowing Morgan Gibbs-White to score from distance with relative ease.
It’s a weekly talking point at this stage, but the group’s frailty is evident, and the task ahead is big. That said, they’re better than this, regardless of their coach.
Inexcusable defending allowed Chris Wood to add a third for his side after 54 minutes with a looping header that somehow found its way past Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and an out-of-sorts Onana.
The Portuguese had seen enough and introduced Marcus Rashford for a frustrated Garnacho a minute before the hour mark.
Amad Diallo has proven to be the brightest light during a difficult transition period in the North West. His brilliance in attack assisted his captain, reducing the deficit to one after 62 minutes.
Forest, visibly tired from their collective shift, opted to sit deep and contain the inevitable onslaught, with a partisan Manchester crowd baying for a trademark finish.
Amorim was happy to offer an attacking avenue, introducing Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee for Ugarte and Bruno with 15 minutes of regulation to play, having brought Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui into proceedings shortly beforehand.
With three central defenders occupying space on the halfway line, the Reds offered endless assaults with seven offensive players, as the visitors dealt admirably with an agreed defensive block.
Dalot tested Sels with a long-range header after 82 minutes following some fine wing work through Amad and Rashford, but the 32-year-old was comfortable.
The Ivorian again tested the Belgian shot-stopper with a sublime half-volley with two minutes of regulation to play. But, once more, he was up to the test.
Much of the first half’s style and grace were replaced with disoriented phases, with Rashford smashing an effort on goal in the fifth minute of injury time and Martinez sending a scissors kick over the bar from the resulting corner kick.
Ruben Amorim stated there would be stumbling blocks as his players attempted to harness his instructions. Supporters would do well to embrace this ideology and back the former Sporting chief.
Painfully, 19 points is the lowest tally after 15 league games since Sir Alex replaced Ron Atkinson in November 1986 (14).
A trip to Viktoria Plzen in Thursday’s Europa League schedule is the next hurdle before the short journey to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Sunday week.
How do you feel following the latest upset for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest?
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