Man United's winning streak over but Diallo salvages point at Forest
Nottingham Forest's Callum Hudson-Odoi (right) and Manchester United's Amad Diallo (left) battle for the ball. Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire.
RUBEN Amorim’s three-game winning streak came to an end at the City Ground but, thanks to young winger Amad Diallo, his side at least maintained a recent uptick in form with a battling point.
Trailing 2-1, it appeared Amorim’s recent golden touch had deserted him as Bryan Mbeumo fired over an 81st-minute corner which Casemiro headed back across goal.
Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic headed out of the area, but only as far as Diallo, hovering just outside the box, and his first-time volley flew past Matz Sels into the home net.
Two goals in as many minutes, early in the second half, had seen Forest recover from the disappointment - and sense of injustice - at falling behind to United’s first half opener from Casemiro.
Forest argued the corner that led to the goal was the incorrect decision but, if new manager Sean Dyche was looking for that controversy to fuel his players, he got precisely what he was looking for.
The second half was just three minutes old when Elliot Anderson switched the play brilliantly from left to right at the start of a move which ended with Ryan Yates crossing into the middle.
There, Morgan Gibbs-White rose above Diallo to powerfully head his first league goal of the season past Senne Lammens.
The City Ground was still celebrating that equaliser, two minutes later, when the decibels were turned even higher as the home side took the lead.
Dan Ndoye’s right-wing cross was met by Igor Jesus who headed down for full-back Nicolo Savona who took a controlling touch on the six-yard line and bundled the ball in. Again, United’s defence had hardly covered itself in glory.
United’s first half opener may have just about been merited, on chances created, but it was still shrouded in controversy after the visitors won a 34th minute corner.
Replays suggested Savona had kept the ball in play but the assistant on the far side flagged for the corner which Bruno Fernandes delivered into the area.
And Casemiro rose highest in a crowded area to head in his third league goal of a productive campaign, much to the anger of Dyche and every Forest fan in the City Ground.
It was the second week running Forest had suffered in such a manner, having conceded an opening goal in defeat to Bournemouth last week from a corner which replays showed should have been a goal kick.
Not that Dyche’s team had done much to deserve a goal themselves in that period, aside from an eighth-minute shot from Ndoye which Lammens parried comfortably to safety.
Anderson’s brilliant pass played Savona clear down the right, but he delayed his cross when it was crying out for a first-time ball, allowing Matthijs de Ligt to intercept.
The better chances fell, instead, to United, the best to Diallo just before the half-hour as he forced Sels into a fine save after Fernandes sent him through.
The game turned on its head in the opening minutes of the second half, however, although United’s response could not be faulted.
On the hour, Fernandes unleashed a superb 25-yard shot which struck the foot of the Forest post and rebounded into the path of Casemiro who could only shoot into the side-netting.
But their goal blitz had clearly breathed new belief into Forest who responded to that scare with a Callum Hudson-Odoi cross which Jesus met at the far post, with an impressive leap and a header just wide.
Hudson-Odoi almost went one better himself, freed by Anderson’s pass soon after, unleashing a 20-yard shot that whistled inches wide of the goal.
As United finished strongly, it took an acrobatic goal-line clearance from Murillo to deny Diallo’s shot and what would have been a dramatic 94th-minute winner.
Sels 6; Savona 7, Milenkovic 6, Murillo 7, Williams 6; Anderson 8, Luiz 6 (Yates 14, 7); Ndoye 7, Gibbs-White 7, Hudson-Odoi 7 (Sangare 90); Jesus 7 (Awoniyi 77, 5).
Lammens 6; Yoro 5 (Mazrouai 77, 5), de Ligt 6, Shaw 7; Diallo 6, Casemiro 8, Fernandes 7, Dalot 5 (Dorgu 68, 5); Mbeumo 7, Cunha 6; Sesko 5.
D England 5
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