Nottingham Forest v Manchester United ratings: Navas 8, Freuler 4; Antony 8, Fernandes 8

A 2-0 win at the City Ground moves Erik ten Hag's side up to third in the Premier League table

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  NOTTINGHAM FOREST PLAYER RATINGS: Keylor Navas - 8. Top draw. He could only palm Martial’s effort into the path of Antony who slid home to make it 1-0, but kept the scoreline respectable with a string of fine saves, including a wonderful stop to divert a Fernandes screamer onto the woodwork. Getty

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  Felipe - 7. A calm head amidst a frantic start to the contest. Hurled himself at Sancho’s goal-bound effort to keep Forest on terms and reacted brilliantly again to turn Fernandes’ cross behind with a difficult header. Offered plenty of resilience despite the final scoreline. PA

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  Moussa Niakhate – 6. A decent display as Forest restricted United to hopeful flashes across goal for much of the first half, but he could do little to stop the visitors from doubling their advantage after unrelenting second-half pressure. Getty

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  Scott McKenn – 5. Twice went close to converting a couple of super deliveries from Gibbs-White in the first half before nodding another effort wide after the restart, but he left a gap at the back as he tried to close down Fernandes and Dalot took advantage for 2-0. AFP

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  Neco Williams – 5. Struggled to deal with Sancho and Fernandes, but caused issues whenever he scampered forward and had the home faithful screaming for a penalty when his delivery was handled by Dalot. Saw a driven cross whistle just past the post. PA

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  Remo Freuler – 4. Had little impact on a passive afternoon in the middle as Fernades and Eriksen ran the show. Replaced by Mangala with 25 minutes to go. AP

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  Danilo – 5. Too weak on the ball and had his pocket picked by Martial as Forest proved the architects of their own undoing after a decent start. He improved beyond that and played a lovely one-two with Johnson as the men in red almost sprang to life. AP

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  Renan Lodi – 6. Plenty of graft from the Brazilian who nodded the ball back across goal into a great area with Awoniyi sniffing around, but Lindelof was on hand to clear. Got an important foot in to prod behind as Antony looked to cause problems at the back post. AP

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  Brennan Johnson – 6. Did well to recycle a deep throw that dropped kindly for Awoniyi, but he couldn’t convert. Unleashed Awoniyi following a silky exchange with Danilo, but a heavy touch from the forward killed the move. Getty

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  Morgan Gibbs-White – 6. Produced a couple of driving runs and showed his finesse with some fine deliveries into the area, the best of which was turned onto the post by McKenna. AP

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  Taiwo Awoniyi – 6. Made himself a real handful early on for Maguire, who was booked for dragging him to the ground on halfway. Saw his strike well blocked by Wan-Bissaka but blasted a big chance horribly over after an awful touch from Dalot. Getty

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  SUBS: Orel Mangala (Freuler 65’) – 5. Saw yellow for clipping the heels of Antony as the midfielder opted for damage limitation. Reuters

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  Sam Surridge (Awoniyi 65’) – 6. Lifted the home crowd when he came on and wasted no time in applying himself, winning his side a free-kick in a decent area. Like Awoniyi though, he failed to test De Gea. EPA

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  Emmanuel Dennis (McKenna 81’) – N/A. A late change of shape as Steve Cooper rolled the dice with Forest staring at defeat. Little time to make an impact, but still managed to ruffle a few feathers. Getty

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  Jesse Lingard (Gibbs-White 88’) – N/A. Made a welcome return with a late cameo against his boyhood club and was given a warm reception by both sets of fans. EPA

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  MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: David De Gea – 7. Hobbled and appeared hurt after five minutes but steadied. A Forest effort hit his post. Almost all the action was at the other end. Yet another clean sheet. Getty

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  Aaron Wan Bissaka – 7. His 110th Premier League appearance. Blocked a fifth-minute Forest chance on the line, then made a key tackle on Johnson. Looked confident going forward. Playing well. PA

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  Victor Lindelof – 8. A rare league start for the Swede this season, a relatively calm afternoon against a side who struggle to score. Made a vital header to stop the ball getting to Awoniyi. Didn’t put a foot wrong. EPA

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  Harry Maguire – 7. Taunted with chants of “Leicester reject” by Forest fans, the captain was booked inside three minutes and could have conceded a penalty. Settled down and was fine. AP

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  Diogo Dalot – 7. Shot well wide and over after six minutes against a side with only one defeat in nine home game. Terrible touch to set up Awoniyi on 44 and a 47th-minute ball shot up and touched his hand. Things picked up when he got the second, finishing after a terrific run on 76 for his first Premier League goal. Kept Johnson quiet. PA

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  Casemiro – 7. It’s great for United that he’s back, though he’s not yet hitting man of the match level that was becoming his norm. A perfect second half cross for Martial showed how he can be effective in attack. Helped his side to 68 per cent possession and 22 shots. AP

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  Bruno Fernandes – 8. Two early balls into the box and then a ferocious shot on 17. Should have made it 2-0 on 44 but headed wide. Smashed a shot towards goal, which Navas tipped onto the bar on 54. Swung a free-kick over on 83. A contender for man of the match again. Getty

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  Antony – 8. Played well again. First goal since October, a follow up to a Martial shot. Almost curled in a 49th minute effort and did the same soon after. Set up the second, releasing the ball after cleverly holding it in front of the Forest defence. Had one final effort with his left foot on 92. Reuters

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  Christian Eriksen – 8. Hugely influential. Afforded time on the ball. Faultless decision making. All he (and Fernandes) needed were runners whenever he got the ball. Perfect cross to Fernandes on 44, a danger around the area too in front of the sell-out 29,435 crowd. AP

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  Jadon Sancho – 6. Shot after 45 seconds went too low and was blocked. Dangerous on the break as he put a ball into the box on 47. Hit a shot over on 87. Getty

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  Anthony Martial – 7. First league start since January and played a big part in the opening goal, winning the ball and then shooting on target, before the follow up was followed in. Faded in the second half but had a chance to make it 2-0 just before he came off on 70. Praised by his manager for his link up and pressing. EPA

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  SUBS: Wout Weghorst (Martial 72’) – 6. Another shift. Booked. Made a good run before Dalot’s goal. EPA

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  Fred (Eriksen 79’) – 6. Getty

Manchester United's Antony scored and set up a Diogo Dalot goal to lead their injury-hit side to a 2-0 victory at Nottingham Forest on Sunday as Erik ten Hag's side climbed to third place in their quest for a berth in next season's Champions League.

United have 59 points from 30 games, three points in front of fourth-placed Newcastle United and six ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who have played 31 matches.

Steve Cooper's struggling Forest side, who are now without a win in 10 consecutive league games, are third from bottom, level on 27 points with 17th-placed Everton.

Antony scored in the 32nd minute at the City Ground, sliding in to poke home a rebound after goalkeeper Keylor Navas's brilliant save kept out Anthony Martial's shot.

Dalot netted his first Premier League goal to put the game out of reach in the 76th, running onto a pinpoint through ball from Antony.

United are missing striker Marcus Rashford and defender Raphael Varane for a few weeks, while Lisandro Martinez is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury.

On Sunday, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, who scored twice in the 2-2 draw at home to Sevilla in their Europa League quarter-final, first leg in midweek, injured his groin in the warm-up.

Check out the photo gallery above for the player ratings from the City Ground as Andy Mitten assesses the performances of the United squad, while Liam Wheeler provides his take on Forest. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.