Bukayo Saka made a goalscoring return for Arsenal after three months out injured – earning special praise from manager Mikel Arteta.
Saka played his first match since December 21, coming on as a substitute to net Arsenal's second goal in a 2-1 win over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium.
The England forward's introduction in the 65th minute was greeted with a deafening ovation – and his goal six minutes later positively took the roof off the stadium.
Earlier, Mikel Merino had continued his own fine goalscoring form as his team’s stand-in number nine, opening the scoring with a deflected strike for his fifth goal in eight matches.
Rodrigo Muniz’s goal in stoppage time for Fulham came too late to put the result seriously in doubt as Arsenal cut Liverpool's lead at the top of the table down to nine points.
The edge was taken off Arsenal celebrations however as defenders Gabriel and Jurrien Timber both went off injured. Both will undergo assessment on Wednesday but with a Uefa Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid a week away it was a worrying sight.
Nevertheless, Arteta was upbeat following Saka’s explosive return.
“A beautiful moment to see how much our people love, admire and respect Bukayo,” he said. “It’s not a surprise to any of us.
“The best example is his reaction. Immediately after scoring what does he do? He goes and says thank you for all the hard work all the sports science guys and physios have done for him.
“He lifted the stadium, the energy. It’s great to have him back.
“He was very positive [after the match]. The first one [back] is always the one, ‘how am I going to feel?’ He dealt with it really well.
“The downside to it is Gabby and Jurrien. We don’t know how they are going to be. We will be assessing them tomorrow and understand better where we are with those two.”
Gabriel was forced off with a hamstring injury in the 16th minute, with Jakub Kiwior coming on. Timber, who needed treatment during the first half but played on, was eventually withdrawn 13 minutes from the end.
It creates a defensive headache for Arteta, who was already without Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori and who has seen his team’s season badly disrupted by injury.
With Real to come at the Emirates next Tuesday, the timing could not be worse.
“The good thing is that it’s been like this the whole season,” said Arteta. “[Gabriel] Martinelli we missed three months, we missed Bukayo four months, Kai [Havertz] four months, [Gabriel] Jesus almost the whole season.
“How we have managed to be where we are, with all those injuries …
“You can imagine, we lose four players in the defensive line in one week; Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien and Gabriel. We still have another four, they are so bloody willing, they will do the job.”
Nuno 'over the moon' with Forest win
Nuno Espirito Santo was “over the moon” after Nottingham Forest dug deep to beat Manchester United thanks to Anthony Elanga’s wonder goal and Murillo’s crucial last-gasp clearance.
A season to cherish at the City Ground continued on Tuesday night as the Premier League’s surprise package strengthened their grip on third spot, fresh from reaching a first FA Cup semi-final in 34 years.
Elanga’s electrifying early run and fine finish ended up securing a 1-0 victory against his former club United, but it was not a straightforward night for Forest.
The hosts battened down the hatches three days on from their FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton going to penalties, with Murillo stopping substitute Harry Maguire’s effort on the line in stoppage time to wrap up the win.
“Over the moon,” Nuno said. “We are delighted realising how the game went. We could not be more proud than we are because it was very tough.
“[Murillo’s clearance] was huge for us. Better than a goal, wasn’t it?
“The fans played their part. In these moments we were against the ropes and it was about hard belief. The legs weren’t there anymore, so very, very proud of them.”
Asked about the rocket-heeled Elanga’s goal, the Forest boss said: “Amazing. With the ball [he’s that fast]. Imagine without the ball.
“He did it by himself. Credit to him. He has this special ability to drive at pace and still control the ball. It’s such a huge speed and the finish was great.”
Elanga refused to celebrate with the enthusiasm the goal deserved due to the affection he has for his former club, with the academy graduate making 55 appearances and scoring four times before joining Forest in 2023.
The 22-year-old’s display comes at a time when United are struggling for goals, which has led Ruben Amorim to face questions about forwards Marcus Rashford and Antony given they look rejuvenated out on loan.
“We are talking about a lot of players that come from Manchester United and are doing right, but they had the chance here,” the head coach said.
“In Manchester United, you don’t have the time. I am saying all the time that I will not have the time. We have to get it right fast.
“But you are not talking about players that didn’t play for Manchester United. They were here playing for Manchester United.
“In here, the pressure is too big sometimes and sometimes you don’t have time, you should have time for these kids to develop but for that you need a strong base to support all these kids.
“If you don’t have that strong base, we are not going to help our kids.”
United fought to the end but ultimately the side in 13th suffered their 13th loss of a miserable Premier League campaign.
