Erik ten Hag found time to criticise his Manchester United side for not scoring more, despite them moving one step closer to guaranteeing Champions League football for next season.
United were without a number of first-team stars for their trip to Nottingham Forest, but goals from Antony and Diogo Dalot ensured they walked away with all three points. Lisandro Martinez will not play again this season, while Raphael Varane and Marcus Rashford are among those not yet ready to return, but Ten Hag's side got the job done.
The Red Devils are now six points clear of fifth-place Tottenham, who lost to Bournemouth on Saturday, and their next two games will come in cups against Sevilla and Brighton. The next seven days could define United's season, and the manager continues to demand more from his players.
"A solid performance. A well deserved win," Ten Hag told Sky Sports after the win. "The only criticism I could say, it had to be higher, the score. It had to be 3-0 or 4-0. We missed a lot of chances there.
"You want to score and finish and kill the game in the early moments. That's always important. In big games you don't create so many chances, so you have to score them."
Nevertheless, it was a fourth United win against Nottingham Forest this season. Ten Hag's men won both legs of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Steve Cooper's side, and also beat them 3-0 at Old Trafford back in December.
After a nervy start to the game, it was Antony who tapped home a rebound to break the deadlock. The Brazilian had impressed at home to Sevilla on Thursday night, and was at the heart of things once again.
Do Man Utd need to be more clinical? Have your say in the comments section
He also had a part in the second goal, which was scored by a man called into action due to the lack of defensive options. Dalot was an unused substitute for United's last two games, but could have a big part to play in the remainder of the season.
United were also dealt a blow when Marcel Sabitzer suffered an injury in the warm-up. Christian Eriksen stepped in for the Austrian, and is also likely to have a part to play for his team on Thursday with Bruno Fernandes serving a Europa League ban.
Despite being without a number of regular starters, though, Ten Hag's side could easily have ended the game with more than their two goals. A number of missed chances were to blame, along with a string of saves from Forest goalkeeper Keylor Navas, while United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka got in the way of a team-mate's shot as the visitors looked to wrap up victory.
With two cup games on the horizon, Ten Hag's team have an 11 day wait before their next league game. That comes against Spurs, and victory over Cristian Stellini's side would make a top-four finish even more likely.
