The jubilant atmosphere in the City Ground lasted just 5 minutes however, as Marcus Rashford ran from his own half and took advantage of some lacklustre defending in the heart of the Forest defence to hand United the lead in the opening moments.
And it looked as though it could be over in the first half, with United cutting through Forest almost at will in the opening minutes. The hosts grew into the tie, however, and looked as though they had drawn level when Sam Surridge fired past David De Gea, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside.
Forest continued to grow into the game, and United threatened to lose control, as Morgan Gibbs-White in particular caused the Red Devils plenty of problems. They were dealt a sucker punch moments before half time, however, as Wout Weghorst grabbed his first Manchester United goal as he seized upon a parried effort to double his side’s lead.
That did not stop some from having serious question marks over one of their star men.
The player in question? 100m euro addition Antony, who has flattered to deceive since arriving in England from Ajax over the summer. As can be seen below, fans were yet again underwhelmed with his showing in the first half.
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