Nottingham Forest 2-2 Man United: First Premier League point for Dyche after entertaining encounter
There was entertainment and controversy in equal measure at the City Ground
Nottingham Forest picked up their first Premier League point under manager Sean Dyche as they played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Manchester United at the City Ground on Saturday.
Casemiro gave United the lead at half time but a rejuvenated Forest scored twice in quick succession after the break courtesy of Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona.
Amad Diallo then levelled with a sublime volley late on to rescue a point to move the visitors above rivals Manchester City into fifth.
How the action unfolded
After a largely uneventful opening period, Amad tested Matz Sels shortly before the half-hour mark, curling an effort towards the top corner but the Forest keeper was equal to it.
It proved to be a premonition for Forest. Five minutes later, United did make the breakthrough, albeit following a controversial decision to award the visitors a corner. From the resulting Fernandes delivery, Casemiro directed the ball into the back of the net for his second goal in as many games.
Forest were fuming. United jubilant. But the hosts response after the break was instant and resurgent. Just five second-half minutes had elapsed when Forest turned the game on its head.
First, Gibbs-White headed past Senne Lammens before Savona, pouncing on the loose ball in the box, found the net 90 seconds later.
The visitors were rattled. But rattled too was Sels’ post when Fernandes tried his luck from distance as United tried to wrestle back momentum.
Callum Hudson-Odoi then fizzed an effort just wide of the goal from the edge of the box, with Forest looking lively.
However, they were hit by stunning equaliser as the clock ticked over into the 81st minute. The ball dropped out of the sky just outside the box and Amad produced a scintillating left-footed volley that gave Sels no chance.
Amad was inches away from winning it late on, denied only by a goal-line clearance by Murillo. But a draw was how the game finished as Forest picked up their first Premier League point under new boss Dyche.