Nottingham Forest moved a step closer to qualifying for the Champions League as Anthony Elanga’s superb solo goal sealed a 1-0 win against Manchester United on Tuesday.

Elanga returned to haunt his former club with a dazzling effort that took the winger over half the length of the pitch before he delivered a clinical finish.

The 22-year-old Swede was sold by United for £15 million ($19 million) in 2023 after being deemed surplus to requirements by then manager Erik ten Hag.

Forest have been the beneficiaries of that mistake and Elanga’s stunning strike at the City Ground helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s side cement their grip on third place.

Sitting eight points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea, who face Tottenham on Thursday, with eight games left, Forest are within touching distance of reaching the Champions League for the first time since 1980-81.

Just a year after battling to narrowly avoid relegation, Forest are enjoying an unexpected fairytale season that also includes progressing to the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 34 years.

Although his players were drained by Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Brighton, which they won on penalties after extra-time, Nuno said Forest would adopt a “no excuses” policy against United.

Despite the absences of leading scorer Chris Wood and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, Forest rose to Nuno’s challenge.

Forest have completed their first league double over United since 1991-92.

The last time they avoided defeat against the Old Trafford club twice in the league in a single season was 1994-95, when they finished third.

It was a first defeat in eight games in all competitions for United, who still haven’t won successive league matches this term.

United won at Leicester in their last game before the international break — their second consecutive victory after beating Real Sociedad 4-1 in the Europa League.

But they reverted to the spluttering form that has frustrated Ruben Amorim since his arrival in November, leaving them languishing in 13th place ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester City.

– Dream season –

In a raucous atmosphere by the banks of the River Trent, Elanga raised the decibel level even louder with his memorable strike in the fifth minute.

When United failed to make the most of a corner, Elanga seized possession deep inside his own half and launched a blistering break, covering 85 metres in just nine seconds.

With United’s under-manned defence fatally backing off too long, Elanga shrugged off Alejandro Garnacho’s tackle, advanced to the edge of the area and drilled a fine low finish past Andre Onana.

Only lowly Leicester have conceded the opening goal more often than United among Premier League sides this season.

Amorim’s men almost mounted an immediate response through Bruno Fernandes, but his header from Diogo Dalot’s pin-point cross was straight at Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Casemiro wasted an even better chance to equalise when the Brazilian headed wide from Fernandes’ corner.

Dalot was inches away from hauling United level, the defender meeting a corner with a looping header that hit the bar and fell to Matthijs de Ligt, whose attempt from the rebound was saved by Sels.

Amorim sent on Rasmus Hojlund at half-time, but the much-maligned striker did little to improve United’s cutting edge.

Garnacho carried more menace, curling just over from long range and then smashing a 25-yard blast past the post.

On his first United appearance in 2025, injury-plagued Mason Mount fired narrowly wide before Harry Maguire’s close-range effort was cleared off the line by Murillo as Forest celebrated another memorable moment in their dream season.

AFP