Casemiro strikes late to keep United's trophy hopes alive
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0 MANCHESTER UNITED 1
IT may not exactly have matched the Mark Robins moment but Casemiro’s 88th minute winner not only carried Manchester United through to the FA Cup quarter-finals, but it might also eventually help Erik ten Hag keep his job.
The Brazilian stooped to meet Bruno Fernandes’s late free-kick and guide a skillful header into the Forest goal, bringing back memories of another tie between these clubs, in 1990, when a Robins winner saved Sir Alex Ferguson from the sack.
The rest, as they say, was history after that winner, and, as United booked a quarter-final place for a record 48th time at the City Ground, the current under-pressure manager could be forgiven for clinging to such omens.
It should not have taken that long. A United side, again weakened by injury, could, should, have been in front inside the opening 20 minutes although the fact that one of the missing eight players was in-form striker Rasmus Hojlund clearly did not help.
Still, there were three golden chances that the players in question - Antony, Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford - would have been reasonably expected to convert.
Just three minutes had gone when a well-worked corner saw Fernandes find the recalled Antony on the edge of the box and his left-foot shot struck the Forest cross-bar.
Diogo Dalot’s cross then found McTominay who might have added to his eight goals this season but placed his header straight at Matt Turner, despite being unmarked.
And, after 17 minutes, United again exploited gaps in the Forest area, with McTominay picking out Rashford who shot well over from just inside the home penalty box.
It was all part of a bright start to the fifth-round tie although Forest threatened on the break, even if
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