Nottingham Forest 0-3 Manchester United: Three Things We Learned

Manchester United have taken a huge step towards the League Cup final with a dominant 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in their semi-final first leg.

We’re down to the final four of this year’s League Cup with all participants being Premier League sides. Last night, at the City Ground, Forest played host to United in an enticing affair.

The Red Devils came away with the advantage and today, we’re going to take a look at how it all unfolded.

The new United

Manchester United are starting to look like a team of winners. Erik ten Hag seems to have introduced that mentality back into the squad, to the point whereby they are as tight as they’ve ever been. It may not always be the prettiest but they look tidy at the back, lethal going forward, and they possess some genuine unity. On their day, we’re pretty confident in saying they can beat anyone in English football.

Forest’s grit

Despite losing the first leg 3-0 and despite being largely outplayed, Nottingham Forest refused to give up in front of their home supporters. The fanbase won’t be best pleased with the outcome, but between scoring a goal that was narrowly ruled out and having a host of other opportunities, they can be proud. In a lot of ways, based on the end of the first half alone, we’d argue this scoreline flattered United.

Planning for Wembley

It’s time for Manchester United fans to start planning for Wembley. We know there is an entire second leg to come at Old Trafford, but all you need to do is take a look at the lead. They are 3-0 to the good and Forest will need to score almost immediately just to stand a chance when they visit the north. United have waited six years for a piece of silverware, and this could finally be their moment to end that wait.