Man United vs Nottingham Forest score, result, highlights as Martial and Fred secure Carabao Cup final spot

Joe Wright

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Man United vs Nottingham Forest score, result, highlights as Martial and Fred secure Carabao Cup final spot image

OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER — Manchester United reached their first domestic cup final since 2018 as a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest sealed a 5-0 aggregate goal triumph in their Carabao Cup semifinal.

The Red Devils held a 3-0 edge from the first leg and were firm favourites to progress to the final, where Newcastle United await.

In the end, second-half goals from the returning Anthony Martial and Fred were enough to kill off any faint Forest hopes of a shock turnaround.

Man United vs Nottingham Forest final score

  1H 2H FT Agg.
Man United 0 2 2 5
Nottingham Forest 0 0 0 0

Goals:
MUN — Martial — 73rd min
MUN — Fred — 76th min

Forest, who had former United man Jesse Lingard drop out of the starting lineup shortly before kickoff, seemed content to sit back and wait for their chances on the break despite the pressing need to get a foothold in the tie through a goal. United, for their part, were happy to play keepball early on.

United's Alejandro Garnacho was the brightest player in the first half. Starting in place of Marcus Rashford, the teenager was a menace to the Forest right-hand side with his direct running and was only let down by some inaccuracy with the final pass.

Luke Shaw had no such trouble when he picked out Casemiro, but his header was saved by the boot of goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Brennan Johnson bundled his way into the United box soon after but was denied by stand-in United shot-stopper Tom Heaton.

Casemiro's best work was going forward, with one pinpoint cross finding Wout Weghorst, whose header came back off the post. In his own half, the Brazilian seemed too eager to dive into slide tackles on the sodden turf and that gave Forest some room to counter through Emmanuel Dennis, who would have scored had Sam Surridge not managed to get in the way of his volley.

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The second half was end-to-end for a time and Weghorst really should have had a penalty when Scott McKenna hacked at his shin while trying to clear the ball. VAR did not look at that but did review an off-the-ball incident involving Garnacho and Johnson, which came to nothing.

Erik ten Hag introduced Martial, Rashford and Jadon Sancho off the bench, the latter earning a huge roar from the crowd as he made his first appearance since late October. All three looked lively, but it was Martial who got the breakthrough, drilling home with his left foot after his poor pass had seen Rashford's effort blocked.

Rashford directly turned provider three minutes later, turning the ball back across goal following a quite brilliant trivela cross from Bruno Fernandes. Fred was the only other player in the six-yard box, and he could hardly believe his luck as he nudged the ball in with his thigh.

It meant for a celebratory atmosphere at the end of the contest for the home fans, who will hope the winter ends with a first trophy since United won this competition back in 2017.

Man United vs Nottingham Forest lineups

Man Utd starting XI (4-2-3-1): 22-Heaton (GK) — 29-Wan-Bissaka, 19-Varane, 6-Martinez, 23-Shaw — 18-Casemiro, 17-Fred — 21-Antony, 8-Fernandes, 49-Garnacho — 27-Weghorst

Man Utd subs: 1-De Gea, 2-Lindelof, 5-Maguire, 9-Martial, 10-Rashford, 12-Malacia, 25-Sancho, 28-Pellistri, 73-Mainoo

Nottingham Forest starting XI (4-3-1-2): 13-Hennessey (GK) — 7-Williams, 30-Boly, 26-McKenna, 32-Lodi — 5-Mangala, 23-Freuler, 31-Scarpa — 25-Dennis — 16-Surridge, 20-Johnson

Nottingham Forest subs: 43-Shelvey, 3-Cook, 4-Worrall, 17-Mighten, 24-Aurier, 28-Danilo, 41-Hammond, 49-Osong

Man United vs Nottingham Forest full commentary, highlights

Final: Manchester United 2-0 Nottingham Forest

FT: That's it! Manchester United are into the Carabao Cup final! They will face Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on February 26.

90th min: We'll have a minute of added time, because it's cold and wet and the tie is over.

88th min: Bruno Fernandes flashes a cross towards the far post, but nobody is there for United. Victor Lindelof is now playing in midfield, which is certainly something you wouldn't expect to see at Wembley in a few weeks' time.

82nd min: Chance for Sam Surridge! Forest break and Tom Heaton has to make a flying save to keep out a powerful shot from substitute Danilo. The rebound falls to Surridge, but he's stretching to turn it back towards goal and he can't control the strike, which flies over the bar.

76th min: FRED MAKES IT 2-0! The Brazilian gets what will surely be the easiest goal of his life, nudging the ball over the line from Marcus Rashford's cut-back with no Forest defender anywhere near him. United are coasting now.

Watch Fred's goal (UK):

Watch in USA:

73rd min: GOAL FOR MAN UNITED! That's the tie definitively over! Casemiro finds Anthony Martial with a first-time pass and suddenly the Red Devils are in on goal. He delays his pass to Marcus Rashford and eventually underhits it, but the ball is blocked back into Martial's path and he fires left-footed into the bottom-right corner. A scrappy goal, but a welcome one for the home fans, and certainly for the returning France striker.

Watch Martial's goal (UK):

68th min: More work for Wayne Hennessey, this time to deny Anthony Martial and Casemiro in quick succession. The Brazilian has since been booked for a late sliding challenge that seemed to come about because he slipped on the wet turf.

61st min: Wayne Hennessey parries at his near post to deny Alejandro Garnacho after a good run. That was the youngster's final act in what has been a pretty combustible display. Jadon Sancho is coming on to a HUGE cheer.

60th min: There was a VAR check just now, apparently for an off-the-ball incident between Alejandro Garnacho and Brennan Johnson. The replays shown on screens in the stadium couldn't find what it was supposed to be looking for. Strange that the penalty incident wasn't reviewed, too.

56th min: Scott McKenna, you lucky boy! The Forest defender was about to clear the ball when Wout Weghorst nicked it away, and he swung his foot right into the United striker. No penalty is given. To compound a rather strange few minutes for referee Peter Bankes, he then goes over to Neco Williams to rebuke him for an earlier incident when he hauled at Alejandro Garnacho's shirt to stop him breaking forward, but decides not to book the defender.

48th min: Antony makes a brilliant sliding tackle to stop a counter-attack and puts the ball out so Fred can receive treatment. His compatriot had been caught by an arm in the face from Gustavo Scarpa, who did not even concede a free-kick.

46th min: Forest get the second half off and running.

Halftime: Manchester United 0-0 Nottingham Forest

HT: The half ends with a booking for Sam Surridge for a late challenge on Raphael Varane. The players head indoors as another rain shower swirls in the breeze. United are 45 minutes away from Wembley.

45th + 1 min: Off the post! Casemiro picks out Wout Weghorst 12 yards out, but his header comes back off the upright. He did really well to arch his back and get decent contact on that, too. Unlucky.

Watch in UK:

43rd min: United and Forest have just saved each other from conceding the opener! First, Luke Shaw's strike from inside the box was blocked by none other than Wout Weghorst. Then, at the other end, Emmanuel Dennis placed a volley towards the bottom-right corner only for Sam Surridge to get in the way and stop what looked like a certain goal.

38th min: Close from Antony! Having won a corner with an impudent piece of skill, United's No.21 picks up a loose ball from a Forest clearance and gives it an almighty thwack on the half-volley. It had Wayne Hennessey a little worried, but it's over the bar.

34th min: Tom Heaton saves! Brennan Johnson managed to worm his way past Casemiro's challenge and suddenly he was through on goal, but he shot straight at the United keeper from a narrow angle. Jadon Sancho has just come out for a warm-up and gets a loud round of applause from the Stretford End.

29th min: Good save, Wayne Hennessey! Luke Shaw delivers a free-kick from the left and Casemiro nods it low and back across goal. The Forest keeper sticks out his right foot to save and the rebound just evades Lisandro Martinez.

25th min: A Bruno Fernandes corner is half-cleared, and Emmanuel Dennis bizarrely plays it the way he's facing when in space. The ball rolls out for another corner, which is cleared more emphatically. Alejandro Garnacho then has another promising run halted by Orel Mangala.

21st min: One of the joys of Forest games is listening to fans squeezing extra syllables into well-known refrains rather than shorten the name of the team. "We're Nottingham Forest, we'll sing on our own," is the latest. Oh, and it's still 0-0.

18th min: Alejandro Garnacho shows quick feet in the box and goes to ground, but there wasn't much contact and a goal kick is given. Antony then draws the first save from Wayne Hennessey after cutting in from the right and having a go.

13th min: A bit more enterprising from Forest there, but Lisandro Martinez eventually clears after a decent spell of play from the visitors. Luke Shaw then tries a couple of crosses at the other end, but neither yields much.

10th min: Erik ten Hag spoke positively of Aaron Wan-Bissaka's progress in the past week, and the right-back has been the most involved player early on. One good exchange with Antony and Bruno Fernandes opens up Forest down their left, but a 50-50 challenge ends up bursting the ball, which rather scuppers the attack.

5th min: United start the match with a prolonged period of possession, ending in a long pass from Lisandro Martinez that almost put Bruno Fernandes in on goal. The heavens have opened, by the way, and there's a real swirling wind inside the stadium, which could make for some interesting crosses...

1st min: We're off!

10 mins before KO: The Forest fans are making an absolute racket as we approach kickoff — they're clearly here to enjoy themselves even if the aggregate scoreline is not in their favour. "We're going to Wembley," they sing, and they sound like they believe it.

30 mins before KO: Erik ten Hag warned in his pre-match programme notes that United "cannot afford any complacency" and his team selection indicates he's taking few chances. While goalkeeper David de Gea gets a rest, the remaining starting lineup is more or less first choice when injuries are taken into account. And, of course, we could see Jadon Sancho back in action for the first time since he was granted time away from the club during the World Cup.

1 hr before KO: The team news is in! United have named a strong side, clearly with the intention of getting the job done with minimal fuss, although Tom Heaton starts in goal in place of David de Gea as one of six changes from the FA Cup win over Reading. Jadon Sancho is on the bench, as is Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, who is rested in favour of Alejandro Garnacho.

For the visitors, Jesse Lingard was due to start against his former club but was replaced in the lineup by Emmanuel Dennis shortly before kickoff, while Morgan Gibbs-White misses out through injury.

1 hr 30 mins before KO: Newcastle United beat Southampton 3-1 on aggregate in the other semifinal, so we know that Eddie Howe's men await in the final at the end of this month. The question for Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper is a difficult one: does he go for broke in trying to overturn that first-leg deficit and keep the cup dream alive, or does he leave some of his star names out to rest them for Sunday's league game with fellow strugglers Leeds United?

1 hr 45 mins before KO: There could be some welcome returns for the home team at Old Trafford tonight. Jadon Sancho, who hasn't played since late October, is back in the matchday squad and will hope to make an appearance at least off the bench. Anthony Martial has also returned following a five-game injury absence. We won't see a debut for new loan signing Marcel Sabitzer, though — he's still waiting to finalise the formalities of his arrival from Bayern Munich. He might well be in the stands watching, though.

2 hrs before KO: Manchester United are looking to reach their first domestic final since the 2018 FA Cup as part of a quest to end a trophy drought stretching back six years. Could Nottingham Forest really spring an almighty shock and overturn that 3-0 first-leg deficit?

Man United vs Nottingham Forest lineups

Christian Eriksen will be unavailable for some weeks and new loan signing Marcel Sabitzer has not yet completed the formalities of his move from Bayern Munich. Scott McTominay is also out injured.

Jadon Sancho is back in the squad for the first time since before the World Cup, while Anthony Martial is on the bench alongside Marcus Rashford. There's a start in goal for Tom Heaton.

Man Utd starting XI (4-2-3-1): Heaton (GK) — Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw — Casemiro, Fred — Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho — Weghorst

Man Utd subs: De Gea, Lindelof, Maguire, Martial, Rashford, Malacia, Sancho, Pellistri, Mainoo

Dean Henderson is ineligible against his parent club, with Wayne Hennessey set to start once again. Striker Chris Wood is cup-tied and Giulian Biancone is likely out for the season, and while Jesse Lingard was named in the starting lineup against his old club, he was replaced at the last minute by Emmanuel Dennis.

Deadline-day signings Keylor Navas, Felipe and Jonjo Shelvey are not be involved, but Steve Cooper has gone with a strong side as he looks to produce a shock comeback. Forest are without Morgan Gibbs-White, though.

Nottingham Forest starting XI (4-3-1-2): Hennessey (GK) — Williams, Boly, McKenna, Lodi — Mangala, Freuler, Scarpa — Dennis — Surridge, Johnson

Nottingham Forest subs: Shelvey, Cook, Worrall, Mighten, Aurier, Danilo, Hammond, Osong

Man United vs Nottingham Forest live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch all of the action from this match in some of the major territories:

  TV channel Streaming
USA — ESPN+
Canada — DAZN
UK Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football Sky Go, NOW TV
Australia beIN Sports 1  beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
New Zealand Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports beIN Sports Connect New Zealand
India — —
Hong Kong Sports Station (Ch. 661), Sports Channel 601 i Cable Sports LIVE
Malaysia —

—
Singapore — —

UK: The game can be seen on Sky Sports' TV and streaming platforms in the UK.

USA: This match is streamed on ESPN+ for subscribers in the USA.

Canada: Carabao Cup matches are streamed via DAZN in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can follow the action through beIN Sports.

MORE: Watch every Premier League match live with fuboTV in Canada

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Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.