Manchester United’s opening goal in the 2–2 draw with Nottingham Forest provoked a fierce reaction from the Forest camp after a corner was awarded that manager Sean Dyche described as “farcical.” Referee Darren England deferred to his assistant Akil Howson, who signalled for a corner from the opposite side of the pitch. Casemiro headed United in front from that set piece.

Dyche led the complaints, telling Sky Sports: “It’s not inconclusive,” and adding, “I’ve seen it back.” In his postmatch press conference he continued: “Of course you can argue about us dealing with it, but the point is it’s the wrong decision. What’s even worse is that the assistant referee has given it from 75 yards away, behind the view of the goal. Apparently he can see it.

“We can clearly see the ball hanging over the line. Whether it’s three-quarters or not is irrelevant, the fact is it’s not out. It’s really disappointing.” Dyche also called for VAR intervention, but video assisted officials at Stockley Park cannot rule on corner kicks.

There is ongoing discussion among the game’s lawmakers about extending VAR’s remit to consider second yellow cards ahead of next summer’s World Cup. Premier League referees chief Howard Webb has previously expressed reluctance to empower VAR even further; “less is more” is his preferred stance, making a change to review corners unlikely.

Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White added: “It’s something that needs looking at,” and, continuing the theme of recriminations, “it has cost us two extra points today.” Off the field, attention around United’s recent run — a three-match winning streak — drew further colour. That streak prompted scrutiny of Frank Ilett, the Red Devils fan behind The United Strand, who is recording his refusal to cut his hair until the club win five successive matches. United goalkeeper Senne Lammens recently admitted that Illett’s hijinks have perforated United’s dressing room.

Forest wingback Neco Williams posted on social media: “Deserved more than a point,” he wrote. “That trim might have to wait.” For United head coach Ruben Amorim the result was something to build on: “If I think about game, we lost control for five minutes,” he told Match of the Day. “I feel in the recent past if we had had this situation [going from 1–0 up to 2–1 down] we would have struggled so much more than today.

“My feeling is we played well but we dropped a little bit of energy. When we have the full energy we are the better team. My players are giving everything but we have the potential to do better.

“Sometimes we have these moments. In the end we lost two points and we need to get three points in the next game.”

Manchester United’s director of football Jason Wilcox has signalled the club will continue to support Ruben Amorim in the transfer market after a visible upturn in results.

The club moved decisively in the summer, committing to spend up to £230 million ($302.5 million) on four new players. That outlay was aimed at an attacking overhaul and early returns are beginning to show.

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have been described as additions of Premier League-proven quality, while Benjamin Šeško has also shown promise. Senne Lammens has taken the No. 1 goalkeeper spot, and those personnel changes have coincided with improved results on the pitch.

Winning two Premier League games in a row for the first time since Amorim took charge last November has quickly turned into three, and United are now just two points shy of second place in the standings. That progress has underpinned Wilcox’s message that recruitment will remain a priority.

“We have got a clear plan. We know what we have got to do, we know the areas of the team that we have got to improve,” Wilcox explained, confirming the intention is not to stop here.

“For us to get in the top four and consistently challenge for Champions League places, win Champions Leagues, win Premier Leagues, we have got to invest in the squad. We have got to buy the right players. The right players who are talented but also who can deal with the pressure, who can take the squad forward. It is not always about just signing elite talent, they have got to have the right character and be somebody who can bring something different to the team.

“We are really happy with where we are, we know we have got to improve and, you know, the players, they will never be satisfied, Ruben will never be happy, I will never be happy, it is just how we are built. We are always looking to improve. Anybody who works at Manchester United should be thinking the same and they do, with the standards we are driving every day.”

Bryan Mbeumo has not ruled out reaching 20 Premier League goals in his first season with United, refusing to impose limits on what he can achieve after an encouraging start. The Cameroon international troubled Arsenal with his movement on the opening weekend, then netted a maiden United goal against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup in late August. He now has four more in nine league appearances, scoring twice in the most recent match.

Asked after the win over Brighton & Hove Albion, which completed a third successive league victory under Ruben Amorim and followed an earlier two-game run, Mbeumo was clear about his ambitions. “I always try to aim big in everything that I do,” he said. “I try not to set limits on myself and on what I can reach. I am just going to work on that as much as possible.

“Everyone wants to fight for as high as possible,” the player added, noting United’s sudden climb up the table and the fact they sit only two points behind second-place Bournemouth. “We want to win as many games as we can and that is what we are going to try and do.”

United’s summer recruitment reshaped the forward line. In addition to spending big on Mbeumo, the club agreed to pay £62.5 million for Matheus Cunha and up to £73.7 million for Benjamin Šeško. Cunha opened his United account with a high-quality goal against Brighton, and all three forwards have contributed to the goals tally so far.

Mbeumo stressed the work required behind the scenes to build understanding with new teammates. “It hasn’t been easy obviously because we all came this year and we tried to make the connections in training,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy coming into this environment, a big club, the expectations are not easy to handle but with the teammates, everyone is helping me, helping the team, helping the new players and I think that was very important.

“We are very happy for [Cunha]. We are growing the link-ups between [myself, Cunha, Šeško]. Of course, the pressure is off [Cunha’s] shoulders with the goal, he was waiting for it.”

If Mbeumo reaches 20 league goals in 2025–26, he would be United’s first 20-goal Premier League scorer since Robin van Persie (26) in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. Last season, no United player reached double figures in the league for the first time in the club’s recent history.