After Dave Beasant scrambled a Ryan Giggs header away for a corner, there was no similar reprieve from the set-piece as David Beckham’s accurate delivery found Johnsen with time and space to direct his header out of Beasant’s reach.United adopted a more direct approach in the second half, sufficient to pin Forest on the back foot. It is not impossible to survive but it is going to be very difficult,” Bassett confessed.The Forest tactics, and the wholesale reorganisation forced upon United by their own injury problems, made for a scrappy opening. Paul Scholes – playing alongside Teddy Sheringham in attack with the first-choice pair of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke sidelined with groin and thigh injuries respectively – was the hosts’ liveliest player, but the breakthrough was provided by another enforced selection change.With Jaap Stam and Gary Neville out through injury and suspension respectively, Ronnie Johnsen partnered Henning Berg in the centre of defence. The goal settled them down and it was always going to be a difficult second half After the second goal it was a damage limitation exercise. I thought we played very well in the first half without having the cutting edge to create good chances.

It is looking very tight at the top and consistency is a key factor now,” Ferguson observed.The Forest manager Dave Bassett’s problem is that his side are too consistent and, with injuries conspiring to limit his options further, the visitors’ plan was to frustrate their opposition.”It was a difficult day for us I thought it might just have been a day to catch United. We needed a goal to get the confidence after one or two bad results. They came here to make it very difficult for us but there were no serious problems in the match. The third goal was absolutely superb; I don’t think you will get a better piece of football anywhere in the country. Using Neil Shipperley as a lone striker, they showed early spirit not matched by their ambition and, as that initial enthusiasm dissolved, the symptoms of terminal illness became all too apparent.
Ferguson will be looking for the sort of thrust displayed only at the beginning of the second half, during which his side powered away from Forest, when Chelsea, who disposed of Forest’s fellow relegation strugglers Southampton at the Dell earlier in the day to move back to the top of the table, provide a more stern test of United’s current form and confidence at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.There was never any real doubt that Ferguson’s own record, his worst league run in six years, would be halted, but the first-half display in particular did little to convince that United’s title challenge is yet at full throttle.”It was a comfortable victory. For, the occasional flash of excellence aside, Manchester United rarely shifted out of second gear. Nottingham Forest, in equalling their unwelcome record of 16 Premiership games without victory, played their part.

And there was still Steve McManaman to come, the last 15 minutes being his first run out in six weeks.. ALEX FERGUSON could have been forgiven for feeling his side have taken the season of goodwill to extremes. Three minutes later the goalkeeper did even better, diving full length to push away Stig Bjornebye’s shot. Booked in his first minutes, Riedle in his second nearly converted Berger’s deep cross and in his third provided a perfect layback for Ince to blast over.Then Ince burst through mid-field and fed Owen, who interchanged with Redknapp before being denied by Schwarzer. On the hour, Riedle replaced Fowler to provide an aerial threat to a defence who had lost Pallister at half-time.

Schwarzer picked himself – and the ball – up, but as Pallister had touched the ball last, it was adjudged a back- pass. Ince touched the indirect free kick, which was two yards to the right of the penalty spot, and Redknapp emphatically fired it into the roof of the net.Immediately after the interval Liverpool could have gone further ahead when Owen, perilously close to offside, pulled back to Fowler who shot horribly high. Owen accelerated past Pallister on to Patrik Berger’s pass but Schwarzer saved fantastically as Owen tried to lift the ball over him. Gascoigne’s long free kick reached Deane with Babb inexplicably grounded and James stranded mid-way between two minds. Unchallenged, Deane headed over the keeper to equalise.Within two minutes, though, Liverpool were back in front and this time the egg was on Middlesbrough’s faces. Owen made a box-to- box dash which was ruined by Jamie Redknapp’s mis-cue and then, in the 17th minute, a corner from Redknapp was headed back by Ince and Carragher toe-poked home.But after the classic the comic returned. Still, Babb intercepted Andy Townsend’s wind-blown cross in front of David James and headed it just wide, and then Ince’s ludicrous back- header fell to Ricard.