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Manchester United v Nottingham Forest: Premier League – live | Premier League
Key events
Peeeeeeeeeep!
The second half begins. No changes from either side.
Watching the replays of that Gibbs-White chance from the first half, two things to note:
1) The Forest man was probably offside, so it wouldn’t have counted.
2) It really was an excellent save from Lammens. He collapsed like a house of cards onto the ball.
The Guardian has kicked off a new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first daily football game, On the ball. It is now live in the app for both iOS and Android … so what are you waiting for?
Half-time reading:
Half-time: Manchester United 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Luke Shaw’s goal is the difference.
45 min: One minute added.
44 min: After a well-timed run, Wood threatens to break free on goal, but a heavy touch allows Martinez to step in and make a tackle.
42 min: After Fernandes botches a short-corner routine, Dalot hooks in a cross to the back post where Diallo – 5ft8in of him – nods over.
40 min: “Of the players on the field, I wouldn’t be surprised if Amad Diallo will have the best World Cup,” emails Kári Tulinius. “Ivory Coast don’t have a terribly difficult group, and they have the squad to go deep into the knockouts. Amad was the Elephants’ finest attacker at the latest Afcon, so he should have plenty of opportunities to shine. Also, it’s odd to say this about a starter for Manchester United, but I think he’s underrated.”
38 min: From a United corner, the ball falls kindly to Martinez, who volleys fiercely at goal … blocked by Anderson. There are faint appeals for handball but the referee correctly waves play on again.
“VAR have just given it as a penalty to Celtic,” quips Bill Gibson.
36 min: I wonder how much Fernandes’ assist record is playing on his mind? Every time the United playmaker gets around the Forest box, one expects him to pass so it’s always a surprise when he shoots. Fernandes’ shot on this occasion is blocked.
34 min: Twice Forest are denied a free-kick in quick succession, as Anderson and Gibbs-White tumble to the turf within 30 seconds of each other. Neither challenge is given as a foul, much to the pair’s displeasure. Anderson is deemed to have slipped, Gibbs-White maybe just fell over.
32 min: From the resulting free-kick, Anderson whips a cross to the near post. Dominguez, not the tallest Forest player out there, darts in and heads over! The Argentinian should have done better!
31 min: Gibbs-White looks full of it today, albeit with a mask on his face to protect that scar. The Forest No 10 is strutting around like he has a point to prove and wins a free-kick on United’s byline after tenacious work to win the ball from Dalot.
29 min: Lammens gets a little lucky: his lazy pass to Mainoo is short and Anderson nips in to try and steal it from the United midfielder. It’s a foul, but that was very nearly a Forest turnover on the edge of United’s box.
26 min: “A World Cup squad is soon to be announced so Luke Shaw suddenly remains fit and on form,” emails Kevin Wilson.
Yep, Shaw does seem to time it well. Of the English players in the two starting XI today, here is what I would expect in regards to going to the World Cup.
Maguire: yes, although perhaps not as a starter.
Shaw: no: O’Reilly and Hall seem to the favourites for left-back.
Mainoo: no, but could potentially sneak in as a back up to Rice and Anderson.
Hutchinson: nowhere near it.
Anderson: yep, obviously.
Gibbs-White: I think you have to take him over Foden, at present.
23 min: Mbeumo has been a fine signing for United this season, but is without a goal in his past 11 matches. He should have scored there, and did the hard part by timing his run and rounding Sels.
Mbeumo hits the post!
21 min: Immediately from that chance, United counter-attack with Cunha racing up the middle. He has options left and right but instead slips in Mbeumo down the middle, who takes a touch or two, rounds Sels and strikes a shot against the bottom of the near post! The ball rebounds out to Fernandes, who attempts a cross, before Mainoo arrives to skew a further chance just wide!
Morgan Gibbs-White clean through, saved by Lammens!
20 min: On a Forest break, Hutchinson aims for Wood with a pass but the striker lets it go, and Gibbs-White runs onto the ball, striding towards Lammens unopposed! The Belgian spreads himself expertly though and Gibbs-White’s low shot hits a stray leg and away! Big chance for Forest.
18 min: Much better from Forest, who are not controlling the ball.
16 min: Diallo beats Morata out wide and drives to the byline. The United winger has three teammates to aim for in the middle but drags a cross waywardly and Igor Jesus is able to help clear.
14 min: Casemiro picks the ball up in some space outside the Forest area. “Shoooooooooot”, bellow the home crowd. The Brazilian instead squares it. In the end, Fernandes tries a pop shot but Sels gathers easily.
12 min: Forest are now enjoying some possession, probing rather than creating anything incisive. Gibbs-White is technically playing left-wing today but is in something of a free-role and is floating inside. Dalot doesn’t know whether to follow him, or pass him on.
10 min: In fairness to Forest, they probably weren’t expecting Shaw to shoot. His last goal was over three years ago, in Manchester United’s win over Bournemouth in January 2023.
8 min: Such a poor goal for Forest to concede. Yes the defensive header from Williams could have been a lot better but the visitors also lacked any sort of urgency or intensity to get out to Shaw, who was able to take a touch and shoot.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Shaw 6)
A poor defensive header from Williams lands at the feet of Shaw inside Forest’s area. Shaw takes a brilliant first touch to bring the ball out of the sky and then with his second touch, laces a beauty of a shot into the far corner, off the post and in!
4 min: Forest are sitting deep and happy to play long to Igor Jesus and Wood, who have a significant height advantage over Lisandro Martinez. But United have settled into a pattern of possession.
2 min: Scrappy start as the teams feel each other out. It’s not often that Manchester United will have faced a 4-4-2, with Chris Wood and Igor Jesus two bruisers up top for Forest.
Peeeeeeeeeeeeep!
And we’re underway at Old Trafford!
Casemiro’s tifo is more of a large banner, really. The Brazilian’s face is pictured next to the slogan: ‘Até à Morte’ (Until death).
Here come the teams! The Manchester United players, the ones that are fathers anyway, are coming out with their children, which is a nice touch. Adam Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo appear to have borrowed some of their teammates’ offspring. Bruno Fernandes’ daughter is unmistakably a Fernandes.
Vítor Pereira has just given one of the most forgettable pre-match interviews of all time, except possibly for this sentence. Neil Warnock’s legacy lives on.
It’s time to enjoy, but enjoy competing for the three points.
Will Unwin’s thoughts on what is sure to be a busy transfer window for Manchester United.
A big boost for Forest that Morgan Gibbs-White is back in the starting XI. The midfielder sustained a gruesome facial injury in the 3-1 win over Chelsea, which led him to missing Forest’s crucial Europa League semi-final second-leg defeat at Villa. His appearance today should allay any fears about him not being fit/healed for the World Cup. Based on form, Thomas Tuchel simply has to take him as a back-up to the tournament. Ollie Watkins is the only Englishman to score more than Gibbs-White’s 13 Premier League goals this season. That’s quite something for a midfielder at a club near the bottom of the table.
Manchester United’s men will wear next season’s home kit against Forest. The strip was debuted by the women’s team in their WSL game at Chelsea on Saturday. I would describe it as underwhelming.
Team news!
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo.
Subs: Bayindir, Dorgu, Heaven, Malacia, Mazraoui, Yoro, Mount, Ugarte, Zirkzee.
No great surprises here. Bryan Mbeumo replaces Joshua Zirkzee, while Diogo Dalot is back in at right-back in place of Noussair Mazraoui.
Nottingham Forest (4-4-2): Sels; Williams, Morato, Milenkovic, Netz; Hutchinson, Anderson, Dominguez, Gibbs-White; Wood, Igor Jesus.
Subs: Victor, Ortega, Sangaré, Awoniyi, Yates, Cunha, McAtee, Bakwa, Abbott.
It looks like Forest are lined up in the 4-4-2 formation that served them so well in the 5-0 win at Sunderland. A narrow and compact midfield, with Gibbs-White given something of a free role from the left-hand side. Two traditional strikers that will press high and hope to force United’s defence into errors.
Will Unwin, our reporter at Old Trafford today, checks in with some pre-match thoughts. He thinks that any announcement over Carrick today would be “highly unlikely”.
For many it is a redundant game at the end of a very long season for Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. There have been many twists, turns and managerial changes but both have achieved their goals; United and back in the Champions League and Forest have survived in the Premier League.
Michael Carrick will be announced as the permanent Manchester United head coach in the coming days but it is highly unlikely to be today at this stage. He has done a fine job and gave United little option other than keeping him on.
The real interest today comes in the form of Elliot Anderson who is high on United’s midfield shortlist but their £80m valuation of the England international may cause them to miss out to rivals Manchester City, who also want him. A big performance today, on Casemiro’s farewell, could make the United hierarchy reconsider the figures because they need to improve the squad going into Europe next summer.
A reminder of the Premier League table before kick-off:
Preamble
Michael Carrick and Vítor Pereira have both done quite the job. The former, despite only getting the interim gig at Manchester United in January, has even ended up on the Premier League Manager of the Year shortlist (alongside Keith Andrews, Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola, Andoni Iraola and Régis Le Bris) after 10 wins from 15 games, just two defeats and more points than any other side in the division since his appointment. Carrick is expected to be imminently offered a two-year permanent contract at Old Trafford, with an option of a further 12 months. We may well see that announced today in person at the stadium, given this is Manchester United’s final home game of the season. As is customary, the club’s manager will address the crowd after full-time. Maybe the good days really are coming under Carrick.
Today will have a celebratory end-of-season feel that has been missing at Old Trafford for a while now: Champions League football next season is assured, third place can be mathematically sealed against Forest and there will be tributes to Casemiro both before and after the game. A tifo to the Brazilian in the Stretford End is expected to be unfurled as the players walk out for kick-off, while Casemiro will also give a post-match speech.
Credit must also go to Pereira at Forest, another Portuguese speaker who has been something of a slow burn. When he was appointed in February, Forest were 17th in the Premier League, three points above the drop zone, after two wins in their last 10 games. After a win at Fenerbahce in his opening match, the 57-year-old then lost four of his next five matches, with the pressure very much still on.
But a run of five straight wins in all competitions earned both Premier League survival and a European semi-final. Pereira can be proud of what he has achieved It is very much mission accomplished, and Carrick is not the only manager at Old Trafford today being linked with a new contract.
Kick-off: 12.30pm BST.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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