Manchester United draws 2-2, ending their winning streak narrowly! Two weaknesses in the lineup exposed, Amorelin must buy players in January to fight for top four

Manchester United failed to secure an easy fourth consecutive win as fans hoped. In the away match against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, the Red Devils were fortunate to hold on to a 2-2 draw. Ruben Amorelin couldn’t extend his winning momentum on his coaching anniversary but at least avoided defeat.

For the first time in 37 games, Amorelin fielded the same starting lineup in consecutive Premier League matches. Early in the game, both sides played openly. Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest did not adopt a conservative approach and pressed actively in the opponent’s half. Manchester United also had several attacking opportunities, but neither side’s shots posed real threats.

The match situation changed due to a mistaken call by referee Darren England. Nicolo Savona controlled the ball on Nottingham Forest’s own goal line, but the referee ruled the ball out of play and awarded a corner to Manchester United.

Bruno Fernandes took the corner, and Casemiro capitalized on this undeserved set piece by leaping to head the ball into the net, giving Manchester United a 1-0 lead over Nottingham Forest.

The City Ground echoed with boos directed at referee England. Manchester United fans were delighted with Casemiro’s excellent form and could argue that the incorrect call didn’t directly change the scoreline. However, Nottingham Forest had every reason to complain as this was the second time in a week they were wrongly awarded a corner. In their 0-2 loss to Bournemouth, they also conceded from a wrongly given corner.

Dyche angrily stated after the match: “This is the second time in a week we’ve faced incorrect decisions, both against us. Can the assistant referee see whether the ball is out of bounds from 70 yards away? This must change. It’s really frustrating and has affected our efforts in the league table.”

Ironically, two minutes into the second half, the linesman on the same side wrongly awarded Nottingham Forest a corner, seemingly trying to “make amends,” and the home fans sarcastically applauded him. The home team responded positively after halftime and soon after the restart, they equalized.

Ryan Yates, who came on for the injured Douglas Luiz in the first half, delivered a cross from the right, and Gibbs-White headed the ball into the net. Amad Diallo was completely overwhelmed by his opponent, exposing defensive weaknesses. This is the biggest risk of playing him as a right wing-back, as he may struggle against physically strong opponents.

Amorelin said: “If you look at Forest’s first goal, we were indeed taking a risk. I put Amad in that position, but he’s not the best choice for defending crosses. I think we would have done better pressing higher, with someone upfront controlling the game.”

After conceding, Manchester United appeared somewhat disorganized and quickly conceded again to fall behind. Savona, who benefited from the mistaken corner call, controlled and shot in a scramble inside the box, leaving Sena Rams helpless as Manchester United trailed 1-2 to Nottingham Forest. Amorelin commented post-match: “We lost control completely for about five minutes, but I feel that in the past, going from 1-0 up to 1-2 down like that might have meant losing the game. Today, I think we performed quite well overall. We just lost our fighting spirit briefly, but when we regained it, we showed what a strong team we really are.”

Manchester United, after being overturned, had a chance to quickly change the scoreline, but Bruno Fernandes’ shot hit the inside of the post and bounced back into play.

However, Manchester United finally equalized with 10 minutes left. Amad struck a volley with his left foot just outside the box, sending the ball into the top corner to make it 2-2. This was Amad’s 10th Premier League goal, all of which have come in the second half—a rare feat in Premier League history.

Amad had a chance to score a winner in stoppage time, but although his shot beat the goalkeeper, it was cleared off the line by Murillo. Manchester United had to settle for a 2-2 draw. Considering the gameplay and statistics, this result was quite fair.

Amorelin stated: “Amad has huge talent, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. He can perform more consistently at his best. From the first half, he actually had several other scoring opportunities, so I believe he has the potential to do even better.”

This draw reminded Manchester United that Amorelin still has much work ahead. Despite trailing, he only made two substitutions, bringing on Patrick Dougu and Mazraoui, which was seen as a sign of dissatisfaction with the depth of the midfield and forward bench.

Amorelin explained: “We have enough capable options on the bench, but if I disrupt the rhythm of the game too often, I worry it might harm the team’s overall fighting strength. I think the team can improve without making changes. Sometimes, even if we put on more forwards, I don’t think the team’s performance will necessarily get better.”

The Manchester United coach clearly expressed dissatisfaction with the left wing-back’s performance. “If you watch Diogo Dalot, many times he had chances to cross directly but chose to cut inside and use his right foot, which lost space. So I substituted Patrick (Dougu), hoping he would cross from the gaps. The left wing-back doesn’t need to cut inside—that’s where Cunha is. As for Lenny Yaro, he often carried the ball forward in the second half, and Mazraoui is a full-back, so I think he is better suited for this task. It’s not about ability, but about matching players’ characteristics.”

Although Manchester United maintained a four-match unbeaten run, they lost the “experience card” of second place in the Premier League. After Chelsea defeated Tottenham, the Red Devils dropped to seventh. But Amorelin urged focusing on the positive: “Strong teams sometimes know how to cope when facing difficulties. When you can’t win, at least make sure you don’t lose. Today I felt that spirit in the team—we absolutely refused to lose this match, and that feeling was good. But ultimately, Manchester United dropped two points, so we must fight for all three points in the next game.”