IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Tuesday.
Anthony Elanga's breakaway goal against his former club earned high-flying Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League on Tuesday.
The Swede left Old Trafford to make way for big-money signing Antony two years ago and played like he had a point to prove at the City Ground, scoring what proved to be the winner, having run two thirds of the pitch, just five minutes in.
Diogo Dalot's first-half header came out off the crossbar, while substitute Mason Mount fizzed a late strike wide, but otherwise the below-par visitors were again lacking the cutting edge they need to rectify their miserable season.
The victory helps Forest continue their remarkable campaign, with Nuno Espirito Santo's third-placed side now eight points clear of Chelsea in fourth, while United's first league loss in five leaves them 13th in the standings.
"We controlled the game, but we already knew this team can score goals out of nothing," United boss Ruben Amorim told TNT Sports.
"When they scored we changed the game a little bit from what they want. We tried with good opportunities, but in the last third, the last pass, the last assist wasn't there. Then if we don't have that, we cannot score goals."
Following their 3-2 win at Old Trafford in December, Forest came into the contest looking to complete their first league double over United since 1991-92 under Brian Clough.
They were soon on their way as Elanga made his former club pay for some slack defending, Forest scoring the opening goal of a Premier League match for the 23rd time this term – more than any other side.
In contrast, only Leicester City have conceded the opening goal in more matches among all Premier League sides than United in all competitions.
United continued to struggle to create any real openings of note. Amorim summoned Rasmus Hojlund, fresh from breaking his 22-hour goal drought against Leicester last time out, for a second-half reshuffle.
The visitors, however, remained toothless in attack. The introduction of Harry Maguire late on gave them an additional threat, with one effort in stoppage time cleared off the line by Forest defender Murillo.
Forest held on comfortably as they moved a step closer to returning to Europe's elite club competition next season for the first time in 45 years.
"Suffer, hard work, believe, helping each other, clearance on the line," Nuno said. "It was a very hard game for us.
"The records, the boys are breaking all of them and today the City Ground was part of the game."
United fell to their 13th Premier League defeat, their second-most in a single campaign in the competition, one short of their record of 14 in 2023-24.
Saka seals comeback with goal as Arsenal beat Fulham
Arsenal beat Fulham 2-1 in the Premier League on Tuesday thanks to another goal from stand-in striker Mikel Merino while Bukayo Saka struck a few minutes into his return from nearly four months out with injury.
Arsenal went ahead eight minutes before halftime when a cute ball from Jurrien Timber put Ethan Nwaneri round the back of the Fulham defence. He found Merino whose shot deflected beyond the reach of goalkeeper Bernd Leno into the corner.
The second half was a blizzard of chances for both sides.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard blazed over from a Gabriel Martinelli cross. Fulham then nearly equalised when Raul Jimenez had a breakaway chance well saved by goalkeeper David Raya with Leno doing the same at the other end from Timber.
Saka's return brought the biggest roar from the Arsenal supporters when the 23-year-old nodded in a flicked-on cross in the 73rd minute not long after coming on.
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta described it as "a beautiful moment" that showed how much "our people love, respect, and admire Bukayo."
"It's not a surprise to any of us... It lifted the stadium, the energy. It's great to have him back."
It wasn't a perfect evening for the home side though. Rodrigo Muniz got a late consolation goal for Fulham, while Arsenal defenders Gabriel and Timber both went off with injuries, the former after just 15 minutes.
Arteta told reporters that both players would be assessed on Wednesday to see the extent of their problems.
"Gabby felt something in his hamstring, we don't know how big that is," Arteta said. "Jurrien was struggling very early in the game, he managed to continue but at some point he couldn't."
Arsenal's victory means they trail league leaders Liverpool by nine points with eight games remaining. Arne Slot's side could widen the gap again when they play local rivals Everton on Wednesday.
Arsenal also play Everton in the Premier League on Saturday before hosting Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final next week.
Fulham manager Marco Silva said his team had not been aggressive enough to win the game and push towards a European competition qualification place, although they did have a string of chances in the second half.
"What decided the game was that we conceded two soft goals," Silva said.
Wolves ease relegation worries
Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen scored the only goal of the game as they beat visitors West Ham United 1-0 on Tuesday to make it two wins in a row and put some more daylight between them and the Premier League relegation places.
The win leaves Wolves in 17th spot on 29 points, 12 ahead of Ipswich Town in 18th and 19th-placed Leicester City, who are both in action on Wednesday against Bournemouth and Manchester City respectively. West Ham are 16th on 34 points.
The visitors almost took an early lead when Jarrod Bowen made his way down the right before putting in a low cross in the 13th minute, but the ball went just behind striker Evan Ferguson and he couldn’t get a clean shot away.
Wolves defender Toti Gomes also went close to breaking the deadlock three minutes later as he met a near-post free kick with a header that flashed towards goal and forced a great save from Alphonse Areola.
Strand Larsen finally broke the deadlock in the 21st minute, picking up the ball on edge of the box and drilling a deflected effort past Areola for his 10th goal of the season, and six minutes later Marshall Munetsi should have made it two, but his shot came crashing back off the crossbar.
Hammers manager Graham Potter sent on striker Niclas Fuellkrug after the break, and though he gave a much-needed focal point to the visitors' attack, the game descended into a bad-tempered affair punctuated by pushing, shoving and arguing for much of the second half.
The Hammers went on to dominate but they failed to create good goal-scoring chances, and the closest they came to an equaliser were a header off the crossbar by Fuellkrug and a late shot that Tomas Soucek fired just wide.
Strand Larsen, who had another good effort fly just wide in the second half, said he was delighted to reach double figures for the season, despite needing the help of a deflection to get on the scoresheet.
"I don't care, the ball went in. It doesn't matter how. I'm happy anyway," he told Sky Sports.
"10 is always the goal for a striker, and we have eight games to go. People have been doubting me a bit so I think it's nice to show them. Today I was a bit lucky, but that's how it is," he added.
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