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29 September, 1990

Pearce free kick wins at Man Utd

On this day in 1990 Stuart Pearce scores as Forest beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford.

Iconic match memories

Landmark away win
Stuart Pearce, former Forest player and manager.
Stuart Pearce, former Forest player and manager. Image: Austin Osuide / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nottingham Forest earned a memorable 1-0 away win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, settled by a trademark Stuart Pearce free-kick.

Pearce struck the decisive goal in the opening minutes, driving a powerful 35-yard free-kick beyond United’s goalkeeper. It was the kind of finish that suited his reputation: direct, fierce and difficult to stop.

Stuart Pearce, former Forest player and manager.
Stuart Pearce, former Forest player and manager. Image: Austin Osuide / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The result gave Brian Clough’s side a strong away victory at one of English football’s most demanding grounds. Forest had players such as Roy Keane, Nigel Clough and Pearce in the side, and the clean sheet made the early goal stand up for the full match.

For Forest supporters, the memory rests on both the venue and the scorer. Winning at Old Trafford was always satisfying, but doing it through a Pearce free-kick gave the afternoon a sharper, more personal identity in the club’s match history.

Pearce Free Kick

Sources

MUFCInfo; 11v11; The Guardian

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Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
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Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
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Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
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Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
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Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
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Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
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Crystal Palace 14:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 16:30 Arsenal
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