Nottinghamshire

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

Morgan Gibbs-White has been a talisman for Nottingham Forest this season, especially since the arrival of Vitor Pereira, and has forced himself into serious contention for Thomas Tuchel's England squad - and maybe starting XI.

He is the joint-top scorer in the Premier League this year, alongside Brentford striker Igor Thiago.

Gibbs-White has twice as many goals and assists in the league in 2026 as any of his rivals for the England No.10 spot.

While one of his goals was a penalty, four of Cole Palmer's six goals have come from the spot which makes Gibbs-White's goalscoring this year stand out even more.

He has 10 non-penalty goals this year, while no one else in contention for England's 10 spot has more than three.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Man Utd fans

Eric: Great performance from United. Forget the contentious handball decision - they were well-deserved winners after hitting the post twice, numerous other missed chances and a fair share of contentious decisions against them throughout this season. Some 29 shots at goal and Forest's keeper did well - and fair play to them as they added to a very entertaining "dead rubber", as Chris Sutton put it.

Mark: A really enjoyable game where we really should have scored more but a shoutout to Forest for making a good effort. We really need to tighten the defence up, especially at full-back, where we aren't good enough. Replacing Casemiro will be pivotal so it will be interesting to see who's brought in. Onwards and upwards then - I hope we can win something next season and push on from there.

Andrew: I thought this was a good performance overall, albeit definitely lucky with the second goal. Forest have been a solid side of late so it's a good result. It's so obvious that the focus needs to be on the Casemiro replacement. Look at Gibbs-White and Anderson - they'd transform United! Amad was wasteful and poor again! The defence was awesome! I hope we make signings early, not after the World Cup!

Christine: It was a very open game, especially in the second half and Bruno could have had five assists. Shaw scoring gave the game some impetus, and United actually pressed forward, with Mbeumo and Cunha scoring. The defence was comfortable but could have been tighter with the two Forest goals. Coming third in the Premier League has to be Manchester United's best season in years. From the depths of despair, achieving top three behind Manchester City and Arsenal is fantastic and United need to spend well in the summer with personalities that will fight for the club.

Nottingham Forest fans

Kris: A great display from a tired and depleted Forest side, away at a rejuvenated Manchester United. Such a pity it was largely settled by a very dubious refereeing decision. A lot of talk will turn to where Anderson 'ends up' next season, but I don't see this United team and manager attracting a player of his calibre.

John: A terrific display from every player. We deserved at least a draw but it wasn't to be and we all know why. Thank goodness we didn't need the points to stay in the Premier League. A great game spoiled only by the referee. VAR was supposed to prevent that.

Jason: Forest played well, best in a while, shame about the handball incident, but the referee made a wrong call. He clearly handled the ball.

Jon: Excellent performance from Forest. Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson are demonstrating why they must both go to the World Cup. As for the handball, a terrible decision that could cost the club £5m based on where we finish in the table. Another VAR-trocity!

If there is one thing in the modern game that is guaranteed to confuse it is the handball law.

And at Old Trafford on Sunday we were presented with the latest example of a decision which has left supporters scratching their heads.

The ball hit the arm of Bryan Mbeumo, who saw his shot blocked before it ran to Matheus Cunha to score Manchester United's second goal in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.

United's celebrations were muted as Forest's players complained to referee Michael Salisbury. Everyone seemed to expect that the goal would be ruled out.

Former Forest defender Brian Laws questioned on BBC Radio Nottingham: "What is a handball offence? Quite clearly - both of his arms are out and it's touched his body and arm. That dropped the ball to his side and from which he took a shot.

"That means he gained an advantage from it and it's an offence.

"I'm scratching my head and wondering if it's because he didn't score and it landed somewhere else for someone else to score, but that initial part is handball without a doubt."

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira told BBC Radio Nottingham: "It was a decision that decided the game.

"When I looked at the image, I was completely convinced that they would cancel out the goal. In this moment, we don't know the rules and we need to go to school to learn again because they've changed the rules.

"I think we need to have a meeting with everybody to understand when it is a handball or not."

Pundits Dion Dublin and Mark Schwarzer join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Friday's and Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Leeds 1-0 Burnley

• Brentford 2-2 Crystal Palace

• Newcastle 3-1 West Ham

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Elliot Anderson is Manchester United's number one midfield target to replace Casemiro this summer.

United know that Manchester City, among plenty of others, are also keen - and they are also unwilling to pay £120m for the England international.

However, as auditions go, this was a pretty good one.

Unlike another midfield option Carlos Baleba, who failed to make any impression when he played at Old Trafford for Brighton earlier this season, Anderson shone.

His covering play was efficient, but he also excelled in making the kind of driving runs out of midfield that Casemiro, for all his attributes, can no longer do. Plus his cross for Morato's equaliser was perfect.

Clearly, Nottingham Forest have a desire to drive the price up as high as possible, as they look at a rebuild after dicing too close to relegation for owner Evangelos Marinakis' liking.

While Anderson's exit appears certain, the future of Morgan Gibbs-White is also the subject of intense debate.

Gibbs-White seemed certain to join Tottenham last summer, but instead signed a new long-term deal to remain at the City Ground.

His importance to the side cannot be understated, and his absence from the second leg of the Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa was a significant factor in Forest's eventual defeat.

Wearing a face mask to protect the massive scarring on his face, Gibbs-White ghosted into space inside the penalty area midway through the first half and was only denied by Senne Lammens' feet.

When he did something similar in the second half, his first-time finish found the bottom corner.

So Forest will be reluctant to lose that game intelligence in the same summer as Anderson's industry.

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the defeat at Old Trafford: "A crazy game, with transitions and counter-attacks. We played the last few minutes with heart and ambition but we lost our balance and organisation, and in the end this is a dangerous team on the counter-attack. They break intentionally and stay with three or four players for counter-attack, and this is a moment we need to control but we didn't and we tried to score.

"The only thing that was a pity, in my opinion, is that the game was decided by a decision. I don't agree with it. I looked at the image and I stayed very calm, but in the end I think we need to have a meeting together to understand when it is a handball, when it is a block and when it is a block in the box.

"At the moment, we don't know what is possible or not - and a lot of the time we don't understand the decisions, but I must accept it."

On character of his players: "Even if I want to keep them organised, they want to score and they will try everything not in an organised way. But I'm proud of my players and the supporters. We keep going with our work to try to win the next game. This is a special group.

"They have character and quality. When they try everything to get points from each game, we are in a position that we can do this because we are not in relegation battle. We wanted to win the game, but in the end this result wasn't possible."

Morgan Gibbs-White has also been talking to Sky Sports: "It was promising. The first half wasn't good enough, we were too slow, but second half we came out fighting, we showed character and desire. We kept fighting and we didn't give up."

On the handball decision: "No matter what I say, it's not going to change the outcome. From the angle I was standing at, it looked like he caught the ball. Whether he scores or not, for me it was still a handball.

"I asked him [the referee] after and he said if [Bryan] Mbeumo scores, it is not a goal. But because [Matheus] Cunha scored, it is a goal - that didn't make sense to me. He allowed the action to carry on when it should have got blown. I'm proud of the boys for the second half, we need to keep building and carrying on."

On whether the handball rules should be looked at: "We need to have clear rules. There is a lot of controversy around it this season. It is not clear to anyone. I don't think anyone understands the rulings on it."

Did you know?

• Nottingham Forest have lost nine of their past 11 Premier League away games against Manchester City and Manchester United, conceding two or more goals in each of those matches.

• Morgan Gibbs-White's goal was the 1000th goal scored in the Premier League this season. Since the start of March, no player has more goal involvements in the competition than the 26-year-old (10).

Various pundits have been discussing on-field referee Michael Salisbury's decision to award Manchester United's second goal against Nottingham Forest, despite an apparent handball by the Red Devils' Bryan Mbeumo in the build-up.

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told Final Score: "You can clearly see the ball comes off Mbeumo's arm prior to going to [Matheus] Cunha. For me, it is a penalisable handball.

"Mbeumo does control the ball and, while he is not the scorer himself, football's expectation is for a goal like that to be disallowed as opposed to being given.

"The law states that usually if it is the scorer who has accidentally or deliberately handled the ball before putting the ball in the back of the net, it will be disallowed.

"Football's expectation is that the handball outweighs any possible deflection off Mbeumo's hip.

"It is a good intervention from the VAR. I would've recommended a review myself, had I been the VAR. I do think that while it is commendable the referee sticks with their decision, which we don't see very often, this is only the fourth time it has happened. But I feel the correct decision is to disallow the goal for a handball.

"It is a decision that will split people. I can see both sides of the argument but we've had so many talks recently about needing to go back to deliberate handball. If it's unequivocally a handball, then we disallow. If the handball is accidental or if the arm is in an unnatural position, and we have all these clauses in the law, then it gets a bit complicated - so I would advocate for a return to just deliberate handball."

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said on Sky Sports: "It is a handball. It is as simple as that. The referee has gone to the screen and made a decision but, if you look at it, it is clear as day."

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane added: "We are confused here, especially because the referee was asked to go to the screen and then still gave it.

"All of us ex-footballers will all be saying the same thing - handball. I don't think anyone would've complained about it. We were all scratching our heads when it was allowed."

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Man Utd's performance

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies