NOTTINGHAM, England — Nuno Espirito Santo hailed Anthony Elanga after the "special" Nottingham Forest winger's wonder goal sealed a 1-0 win against Manchester United on Tuesday.

Elanga sprinted 85 meters in just nine seconds in a blistering solo effort that carried him from deep inside the Forest half to the edge of the United area.

The Swede, who was sold by United in 2023 after being deemed surplus to requirements, capped his electric surge by drilling a cool finish past Andre Onana to put Forest on course for victory at the City Ground.

"He's a special boy and he gives this team his speed. He does it by himself and we are delighted," Forest boss Nuno said.

"I think the game was going away from us. We had to suffer. Hard work, belief, helping each other, clearance on the line. It was a very hard game."

Elanga's fifth-minute moment of magic clinched Forest's latest eye-catching success in what is becoming a fairy tale season.

Nuno's team is sitting third in the Premier League just a year after battling to avoid relegation.

A place in the Champions League is within touching distance, while it has also reached the FA Cup semifinals for the first time in 34 years.

"The records, the boys are breaking all of them, and today the City Ground was part of the game. We were against the ropes. The City Ground helped us," Nuno said.

Asked if he was ready to think about leading Forest to Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 1980-81, Nuno said: "Let's focus on the next one. It is day-by-day."

Elanga's pace was the key to Forest's success, as it sat deep and hit United on the counter.

"It is about attacking the space and getting to the opposite goal as quick as I can," the 22-year-old said.

"I saw the space, and I believe I'm one of the fastest players in the league. The finish is something I have been trying to work on."

'Togetherness'

Praising the impact of former Tottenham manager Nuno, Elanga added: "The manager came in December last season, and we struggled, but he got his ideas across in preseason.

"We have been able to play different systems. That togetherness is important and it shows on the pitch."

United manager Ruben Amorim admitted his side's lack of attacking quality was the key factor in its first defeat in eight games across all competitions.

"We controlled the game. We tried with good opportunities, but the last pass, the last assist wasn't there. Then, if we don't have that, we cannot score," he said.

"This season is like that. We had a lot of shots on goal, we pushed the opponent, but in the last third we had a lack of quality.

"We need to win games and we deserved more in this game, that is clear, but it is our fault. We needed to be better in the last third. We should have won this game."

United is languishing in 13th place in the Premier League, with only the Europa League left to salvage a wretched campaign, as it looks ahead to a quarterfinal against Lyon.

Amorim, who was hired in November to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag, insisted his team was making progress, despite its lowly position.

"I see it in the game. I don't lie to myself. Everyone can say whatever they want to say, but we need to win games," he said.

"We have Europa League, and we have the next game in the Premier League (against Manchester City) and that is the focus."

AFP