Manchester United survived a late Nottingham Forest comeback to secure an entertaining 3-2 victory in their final home game of the Premier League season at Old Trafford.
The hosts made the perfect start when Luke Shaw fired United into the lead after only five minutes, sending the home crowd into celebration early in the afternoon.
United dominated large parts of the opening half and created several opportunities to extend their advantage, with Bryan Mbeumo and Casemiro both going close.
Despite United’s control, Nottingham Forest remained dangerous on the counter-attack and almost punished the hosts before halftime.
Forest eventually found their equaliser shortly after the restart when Morato headed home following an excellent cross from Anderson. The goal survived a lengthy VAR review despite furious protests from the home supporters and coaching staff.
United responded positively and thought they had regained the lead through Matheus Cunha, but another VAR review created uncertainty before the goal was eventually awarded.
The match exploded into life in the closing stages when Bruno Fernandes delivered a brilliant assist for Bryan Mbeumo to make it 3-1 in the 76th minute.
However, Forest immediately responded through Morgan Gibbs-White, whose goal ensured a tense finish inside Old Trafford.
United were forced to withstand late pressure from the visitors before finally securing all three points after eight nervy minutes of stoppage time.
The victory completed United’s home campaign on a positive note while also providing supporters with emotional moments after the match, including a farewell ovation for Casemiro and an end-of-season speech from interim manager Michael Carrick.
Carrick thanked the fans for their support throughout the season and expressed confidence that bigger moments would arrive for the club next season.
The result also highlighted encouraging attacking signs for Manchester United as Fernandes, Mbeumo and Cunha combined effectively throughout large parts of the contest.
For Nottingham Forest, the defeat ended a spirited display in which they repeatedly threatened to complete a late comeback at Old Trafford.
