Manchester United v Nottingham Forest: Carabao Cup semi-final, second leg – live

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

The teams are out! Manchester United in red, white and black; Nottingham Forest in second-choice yellow and blue. Forest have been forced into a late change, with Jesse Lingard picking up an injury in the warm-up. Sad for Lingard, on his return to his old stomping ground, but an opportunity for Emmanuel Dennis, who takes his place in the starting XI. As local breathy emoter Ian Brown warbles through the PA: This is the One. We’ll be off in a minute or two!

Tense, nervous headache ahead of a major semi-final? Let new-age guru Peter Oh soothe your troubled mind! “When things are ugly in the world, it’s helpful to meditate on something beautiful,” he begins, to a soundtrack of tinkling water and pan pipes. “The Nottingham Forest crest, for instance. A tree and a river, watched over by two tastefully placed stars. Life-giving, simple, beautiful. On the other side, a stylised trident-wielding devil. It’s basically good versus evil tonight. Come you Tricky Trees! Grab a tricky three and send this thing into extra time!” In the interests of balance, and on instruction from our lawyers, the Guardian would like to clarify that Manchester United are not, nor do they symbolically represent, evil. But Peter’s right about one thing: that Forest crest is an all-time classic. Yes logo!

Erik ten Hag talks to Sky. “The position is good but there’s still a game to go … it’s 0-0 again … and we have to use the game to get further on in the process … we have a strong selection and a good team … we are bringing some player back but not too much … it is good for the team to have Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial back … we will need them for all the games coming up … but first we focus on this game and we have to get to the final … Casemiro and Fred can deal with many games, they are used to it, and we are happy with this … we have to avoid complacency … we have high demands and high standards.”

Steve Cooper talks to Sky Sports. “The task is obviously massive … a mountain to climb … what we have to focus on is trying to put in a better performance, a positive performance … not just than last week but when we played United here before … you get a positive performance and then you have a chance of a positive result, and then you never know, but we’re not thinking about that … we’re only focused on tonight … it’s always been our mantra … it is quite easy to think beyond that but we’re not going to … we’re not looking further forward because you can’t, it’s such a tough game, United at Old Trafford.”

It’s fair to say Nottingham Forest have it all to do this evening. Having lost the first leg at the City Ground 3-0, chances are Manchester United will make it through to the final tonight. However, the result Forest are searching for is not unprecedented. In December 1977, Brian Clough took his newly promoted team to Old Trafford as shock mid-season leaders of the First Division. Dave Sexton’s hosts were hopeful of inserting themselves into the title race. What happened that afternoon sent shockwaves up and down the division, and Forest on an inexorable run to the title (with the small matter of a couple of European Cups to follow). “Never can Manchester United have been so humiliated in front of their own crowd,” wrote Ronald Atkin in the Observer of Forest’s jaw-dropping 4-0 win. “Forest, building neatly from midfield in front of an obdurate back line which gave Peter Shilton an industry-free match, took measure of United’s defence then contemptuously tore it to pieces.” A performance for the ages. And what a team! How they could do with John Robertson, Tony Woodcock and Archie Gemmill tonight.

Manchester United make five changes to the starting XI selected for the first leg at the City Ground. Tom Heaton replaces David de Gea in goal, while Fred, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw and Alejandro Garnacho also step up. De Gea drops to the bench along with Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia and Marcus Rashford; Christian Eriksen is out injured until May. Jadon Sancho is also named as a sub, hoping to be eased back into action after a long lay-off.

The United fans are glad to see the return of Jadon Sancho. Photograph: Matthew Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images

Nottingham Forest make four changes to last week’s starting selection. Orel Mangala, Neco Williams, Willy Boly and former United star Jesse Lingard replace Joe Worrall, Serge Aurier and Danilo, who drop to the bench, and the injured Morgan Gibbs-White.

The teams

Manchester United: Heaton, Wan-Bissaka, Martinez, Varane, Shaw, Fred, Casemiro, Fernandes, Antony, Garnacho, Weghorst.
Subs: De Gea, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia, Mainoo, Pellistri, Martial, Rashford, Sancho.

Nottingham Forest: Hennessey, Williams, McKenna, Boly, Lodi, Freuler, Scarpa, Mangala, Lingard, Johnson, Surridge.
Subs: G Shelvey, Cook, Worrall, Mighten, Aurier, Dennis, Danilo, Hammond, Osong.

Preamble

Last week this happened …

… rendering this second leg little more than a procession. The following 90-minute exercise in I-dotting and T-crossing will confirm Manchester United’s place in the 2023 League Cup final against Newcastle United; if we’re wrong, we’ll have witnessed a match they’ll be talking about in Nottingham for a very long time. Kick off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!