UNITED SLIP TO FOREST DEFEAT

UNITED SLIP TO FOREST DEFEAT

Hosts claim 3-1 victory at the City Ground...

FOREST 3 (Kasami 16, Perquis 71, Burke 90+4), UNITED 1 (Phillips 83) (The City Ground, 3pm kick-off)

Forest team: Henderson, Pereira, Mancienne, Perquis (Mills 79), Lichaj, Burke, Lansbury, Cohen, Osborn, Kasami, Vellios (Cash 84). Subs: Smith, Traore, Vaughan, Ward, Veldwijk.

United team: Green, Ayling, Cooper, Bartley, Taylor, Bridcutt, Vieira (Phillips 65), Hernandez (Mowatt 80), Sacko (Roofe 70), Antonsson, Wood. Subs: Silvestri, Coyle, Jansson, Doukara.

Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Booked: Vieira, Bridcutt (United)

Att: 20,995 (1,925 United)

United slipped to a 3-1 Sky Bet Championship defeat away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.

Oliver Burke wrapped things up for the hosts deep into stoppage-time at the City Ground after a stunning free-kick from Kalvin Phillips had led to United throwing everything forward in a bid to overturn the two-goal deficit inflicted by goals in either half from Pajtim Kasami and Damien Perquis.

Chances were scarce for both sides during the early exchanges but Forest managed to open the scoring on 16 minutes as Oliver Burke flicked a corner into Kasami’s path to send a side-footed volley beyond Rob Green and into top corner.

United looked to respond and Hadi Sacko’s cross was almost fumbled into his own net by Stephen Henderson, but the Forest ‘keeper recovered to gather at the second attempt.

Clear-cut chances remained limited as the first half progressed and Green dealt comfortably with a curling free-kick from Kasami, while Marcus Antonsson saw his effort blocked from a tight angle on the turn after being threaded into the area by Pablo Hernandez.

Charlie Taylor smashed a volley well over Henderson’s bar after meeting Hernandez’s corner from 20 yards out, before United’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes fell to Antonsson in the second minute of added time, with the Swedish striker denied by Henderson at full-stretch from inside the area.

United started the second half on the front foot and started to put the hosts under a spell of pressure as Chris Wood fired over before Hernandez lost his footing at the vital moment after being slotted into a dangerous crossing position on the left.

Ben Osborn poked wide at the opposite end but United continued to threaten as Sacko fired over from 20 yards out before Taylor drilled a low effort wide from a tight angle.

It was Forest who claimed the second goal of the afternoon, however, with Perquis’ downwards header at the back post finding its way into the United net from a corner after 71 minutes.

The visitors refused to let heads drop, though, and Wood nodded wide from a floated Hernandez cross before Phillips, a replacement for Ronaldo Vieira, pulled one back with a swerving free-kick from range seven minutes from time.

It prompted a wave of United attacks during the closing stages, with Kyle Bartley heading wide from a corner and Antonsson again denied by the reflexes of Henderson, but Forest were able to seal it in the fourth minute of added time as Burke slotted under Green from close-range.

X