Manchester United went into today's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest, knowing full well what a potential banana skin this match was.

On the road to a well-supported outfit battling for survival, all the ingredients were in place for the plucky outfit to topple the giants, and when the visitors started spurning chances galore at 1-0, that opportunity lingered.

However, fortunately for Erik ten Hag, their quality eventually told and the Red Devils would run out 2-0 winners to reinforce their status within the top four.

Enjoying a whopping 68% of the ball and taking 22 shots, it was clear that the injury crisis being suffered had led to the drop in quality in the starting lineup. For all the impressive performances, many were somewhat marred by a lack of potency in the final third.

It took a goal and an assist from their Brazilian trickster Antony to separate the sides, a display that will likely command all the headlines.

However, the true conductor of the proceedings was actually expected to start on the bench today until Marcel Sabitzer's late pullout.

This thrust Christian Eriksen back into the side, starting his first league game since January. However, it was almost like he had never been away.

How did Christian Eriksen play vs Nottingham Forest?

In what was the first time the Denmark international could reform the midfield trio that earned them such early-season success, they instantly gelled together again to cruise to victory.

United would create plenty of chances, many of which started with the £150k-per-week maestro's creativity.

Across his 79-minute cameo he would record 80 touches, three key passes alongside his 89% pass accuracy, and could have even scored himself having missed a big opportunity, via Sofascore.

This did not allow the 31-year-old to shirk his defensive responsibilities though, as the cultured creator capped off a magisterial afternoon with two interceptions, one block and one tackle.

Journalist Samuel Luckhurst even took to Twitter to laud a display that knocked off all the rust to instantly return to form. He claimed: "Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes have been masterful today."

With an injury list detailing the likes of Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and now Sabitzer, they needed their top remaining players to step up to the occasion.

Whilst Antony starred in the limelight, his platform to thrive was afforded by the relentless pursuits of Eriksen behind the scenes. His re-emergence way ahead of schedule offers a huge boost for Ten Hag, who is still seeking to claim top four and two more pieces of silverware before his first year is up.