After Anthony Elanga scored a goal that was both blistering and counter-attacking, Manchester United supporters must have been thinking back to the team’s glory days.
Sadly, the young player who had previously played for the Red Devils was teaching them a lesson while he was playing for the opposing team.
During the match against United that took place on Tuesday night, the winger scored the lone goal, allowing Nottingham Forest to complete the double.
After a corner kick from the Red Devils, the hosts launched a swift counterattack, which culminated in a goal scored by Elanga in the fifth minute.
Following Forest’s clearance of the ball, the Swedish international was able to cover 85 meters in just nine seconds.
His old side’s former glory under Sir Alex Ferguson was reignited as a result of the former United starlet’s breakaway.
In the course of his run of championship victories, which lasted from 2007 to 2009, players such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo frequently shared the responsibility of scoring on the counterattack.
Particularly noteworthy is the fact that Ronaldo initiated and eventually completed a free-flowing move in the Champions League that involved Rooney and Park Ji-Sung.
During the match between Arsenal and Portugal in the semi-finals of the 2009 competition, the Portuguese forward ran more than half the length of the pitch in order to get on the end of a cross that was made by his teammate.
Unfortunately for United supporters, Elanga’s performance was little more than a reminder of what their team could have accomplished had he been a member of the club’s youth program.
After signing with the Red Devils when he was 13 years old, he remained at Old Trafford for eight years before making the move to Forest in 2023.
Elanga has since become an essential component of Forest’s incredible form this season, and on Tuesday, he demonstrated to his former team that he is a valuable asset to the team.
Ruben Amorim, on the other hand, took a swipe at the 22-year-old player’s performances during his time in Manchester, despite the fact that he joined the club after Elanga left.
Amorim responded, “No, they have to perform at Manchester United.” This was in response to the question of whether or not it is difficult to see him performing so well for his current club.
“We are unable to take a look at the players who pass away. They were given the opportunity to play for Manchester United.
The move comes after Marcus Rashford and Antony, who both moved on loan to Aston Villa and Real Betis in January, respectively, and experienced similar improvements in their respective performances.
After joining United at the age of 18, Ronaldo himself found it difficult to get off to a good start on the wing for the club under the direction of Ferguson.
Despite the fact that the forward did not score more than ten goals in the league until his fourth season in England, the legendary manager was able to handle every situation with patience.
As for Elanga, he has now made 30 appearances in the Premier League and has scored six goals and assisted on eight others.
For Nuno Espirito Santo’s team, Chris Wood is the only player who has scored more goals in the league season.
The most recent strike he made was sufficient to earn him the player of the match award from Ally McCoist at the City Ground.
The co-host of talkSPORT had been working as a commentator for TNT Sports, and on Wednesday morning, she reflected on the match that she had just watched.
“Anybody who scores a goal like that and the only goal of the game, I don’t care what anybody says, has to be man of the match,” McCoist said in an interview with Breakfast.
The young man surprised us with the statistics, and it appears that Elanga is able to run 85 meters with the ball in nine seconds. This is what they claimed he did. What an incredible goal it was that he ran 85 meters with the ball in nine seconds.
In addition to this, Dean Saunders stated, “Do you know what, Carl Lewis and Linford Christie would beat him, but unfortunately, they don’t have a football brain.”
“So if you’ve got pace and a brain, you’re dangerous and he obviously has.”
With only eight matches left to play, Forest is getting closer and closer to making their return to Europe. Their victory over United keeps them in third place in the table.
In 1980, when the Champions League was still known as the European Cup, they had not participated in the Champions League since 1980. This would be their first continental campaign in thirty years.
As a result of reaching the final four of the FA Cup on Saturday, Forest has the opportunity to finally break their 35-year wait for major silverware in the competition.
At Wembley Stadium on April 26, the two-time champions will compete against Manchester City in the semi-finals of the competition.
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