‘Look at their faces…’: Forest ace’s poised pre-match remark on United squad rang true by final whistle

Nottingham Forest ace Morgan Gibbs-White had already clocked that Manchester United players weren’t up for the challenge of their Premier League clash at the City Ground.

The Red Devils are enduring a tumultuous season under Erik ten Hag, which has seen numerous unwanted records broken with each loss they’ve registered. Now, they sit at 14 defeats heading into the second half of the campaign, and supporters can only wonder how the situation may look – especially in the dugout – by the time 2023/2024 draws to a close.

When the two sides met in the Midlands for their final outing of the calendar year, both headed into the game on the back of crucial wins; Forest overturned last season’s high-flyers Newcastle United 3-1 away from home, while United completed a triumphant second-half comeback to claim all three points against second-placed Aston Villa.

Given the circumstances, you would’ve expected that momentum was high for the clubs – but only one showed it. The Trees earned their first victory over United since 1994 and their first of the Premier League era on home turf.

United, throughout the 90 minutes, displayed a performance that fans are far too accustomed to seeing; uninspired, uninventive and deflating.

Gibbs-White read United for what they were

Morgan Gibbs-White netted the winning goal with a clever finish to curl the ball past Andre Onana in the 82nd minute. Prior to kick-off, he rallied the squad with a speech in the huddle and said of the opposition’s players: “Look at their faces, they don’t want to be here.”