Manchester United secured an FA Cup quarterfinal against old rivals, Liverpool, at Old Trafford next month courtesy of Casemiro’s 89th-minute winner over Nottingham Forest.
The Brazilian sprinted in to flick home Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick, but the goal was only awarded after a long Video Assistant Referee (VAR) assessment for suspected offside in the buildup.
Sir Alex Ferguson sat next to new United director Sir Dave Brailsford on the pitch where he memorably won an FA Cup third-round encounter to save his own job in 1990, while under-pressure current manager Erik ten Hag kept his sole remaining hope of ending his second season with a trophy alive.
The visitors edged a game that appeared headed for extra time, but they squandered a number of golden chances to break the deadlock.
Forest, looking to reach the final eight for the second time since 1996, ignited only intermittently, with Divock Origi and Taiwo Awoniyi both having quality attempts stopped by United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
As it turned out, Casemiro’s fifth goal of the season was enough to get them through.
But, with Harry Maguire out with a suspected knee injury, United will need to be significantly more efficient on Sunday when they visit Manchester City, who defeated them in last season’s FA Cup final.
“We lost once in 2024. “We’re consistent,” Ten Hag told BBC Match of the Day.
“It’s not simple when you have the entire backline and need to mix and play people in different spots. “I’m very proud we did it.”Each triumph is significant. We take it for 24 hours, then move on. “[We] have fantastic games coming up.”
Ten Hag startled a few people in his pre-match news conference by claiming Antony was one of the fastest players over 10 yards, and he had the statistics to back it up.
Starting for the first time since his goalscoring contribution in the previous round’s triumph against Newport, it was difficult to see how he might reach that figure.
The fact was that the former Ajax man’s possessions followed a consistent pattern. When receiving the ball on the right, he would take a few faltering steps to his right before cutting inside and going across the pitch for a few paces or just laying the ball off.
It was not the reason United spent £82 million for Antony, just before the summer 2022 transfer deadline, making him the club’s second most expensive player in history, trailing only Paul Pogba.
The Brazilian was unlucky when an early shot from the outside of the box bounced against the crossbar, marking the finish of a well-worked corner routine and part of an early onslaught that should have put the visitors ahead.
Scott McTominay was in a far better position than he realized when unmarked, he drove an eight-yard header straight at Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner.
McTominay fared much better with another Diogo Dalot cross later in the half, bending low to direct another header towards goal, which Turner saved with a good response.
Antony had one more attempt on the Forest goal in the second half before being replaced by Amad Diallo 17 minutes from time, looking exhausted as he went to the bench.
Marcus Rashford was also having one of his less productive evenings, and when he blasted over after sprinting into the area, it appeared like the game was going to extra time.
To the pleasure of the visiting supporters, Casemiro had different plans, and his first goal since September proved pivotal.
The forest is gone, but larger issues are ahead. A midweek FA Cup fifth-round tie was very much third on the list of priorities for Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who watched from his place in the directors’ box.
In his first game as manager after replacing Steve Cooper, Nuno Espirito Santo led the team to a win over Manchester United at home.
Since then, two of their three triumphs have come in FA Cup replays against lower-league Blackpool and Bristol City, and, worryingly, the venom looks to have left their game.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s greatest attempt, forcing a stunning save from Onana, was offside anyhow. Origi tried hard but has never been the most consistent finisher, and Awoniyi was not his typical menace.
After the weekend’s match at home to Liverpool, Forest face a run of winnable games that might decide their destiny.
However, their legal struggle to avoid a points punishment for violating Premier League spending regulations begins early next week. The outcome might be critical to their top-flight survival chances.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members
