Whatever the outcome of this season, games such as this were never really going to decide Nottingham Forest’s fate.
Steve Cooper’s side have taken points off some big teams at the City Ground, of course. But matches against the likes of Manchester United are ones which many fans tend to approach with hope more than expectation - the previous three meetings between the two sides this term also suggested as much.
The problem at the moment is, such is the Reds’ precarious position and such is the absence of wiggle room, they no longer have any free hits. Every result is viewed through the prism of “missed opportunity”.
