Manchester United continued their poor run in the 2023/24 season as they fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat to struggling Nottingham Forest at City Ground on Saturday in a Premier League match to end the year on a losing note.
Nicolas Dominguez put Forest ahead in the 64th minute before Marcus Rashford equalised for United before Morgan Gibbs-White’s late winner handed Forest their first win over United since 1994 to pile more misery on Erik ten Hag.
The defeat means Ten Hag Man United’s tutored side seventh place in the Premier League and lost a total of 21 games in all competitions in 2023.
This was United’s 14th defeat in all competitions this term and a miserable end to the year
The win moved Forest to 15th place on the Premier League table, five points clear of the relegation zone.
“What we are trying to do is to create an idea. The talent is there, so it’s the confidence to play,” said Forest manager Nuno, who replaced Steve Cooper earlier this month.
“It’s our responsibility in how we defend. But they have to believe in the idea. The spaces were there and it’s a credit to the players because we have only been here for 10 days and they are the ones really working very hard.”
According to Opta stats, Man United have lost as many as nine of their first 20 league games in a season for the first time since 1989/90 and it’s as many defeats as they suffered in the whole of 2022/23
British billionaire and INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased a 25 per cent stake in United for around £1.3 billion on Christmas Eve and will take control of United’s football operations from the Glazer family.
INEOS’s head of sport Dave Brailsford alongside former manager Sir Alex Ferguson were at the City Ground as United were beaten by Forest for the first time since 1994.
But despite Ten Hag’s claim that Ratcliffe wants to work with him, tonight’s result could propel Ratcliffe to consider sacking the former Ajax manager.
