Bruno Fernandes equalled the Premier League record for assists in a season as Manchester United won an entertaining five-goal encounter with Nottingham Forest.

Fernandes' cross from the right was turned home by Bryan Mbeumo to make it 3-1, taking the United skipper level with Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne on 20 assists - with one game of the season remaining.

On a day when Casemiro received a standing ovation on his Old Trafford farewell nine minutes from time, United got the result they needed to secure third place under Michael Carrick, who is still to be officially confirmed as permanent boss.

Fernandes' achievement at least took some of the headlines away from yet another contentious VAR incident.

Forest had only just cancelled out Luke Shaw's fifth-minute opener, through Morato's header, when Diogo Dalot crossed for Mbeumo.

The Cameroon forward appeared to control the ball between his upper arm and his side before having his shot deflected into the path of Matheus Cunha, who applied the first-time finish.

Referee Michael Salisbury gave the goal but, rather than rule it out as expected after being sent to the screen by VAR Matthew Donohue, after numerous checks and to a cacophony of boos from both sets of fans over the time taken to reach a decision - he confirmed his initial decision, as the ball had deflected off Mbeumo's hip.

Morgan Gibbs-White scored a second for Forest 12 minutes from time but the visitors were unable to force an equaliser.

With Carrick's status yet to be confirmed, it was a day to remember in other aspects.

Cunha almost laughed at Shaw's impromptu reaction at scoring.

It was hardly a surprise. The left-back's last Premier League goal came against Bournemouth in January 2023. It was only his fifth in all competitions for United.

Fernandes had already had two games to get his 20th assist. When Mbeumo blazed over after being sent through by the Portugal midfielder, Fernandes buried his head in the turf, presumably fearing the momentous assist would never come.

Finally - after Mbeumo had wasted another chance to break a goal drought stretching back to 7 February when he thudded a first-half shot against the post - it came, sparking gleeful celebrations from the United players, who ran to Fernandes almost before acclaiming the man who had scored the goal.

Fernandes might have had the record to himself, only for Dalot to thud a shot against the base of a post in stoppage time, after nicking the ball away from his fellow countryman.

The biggest reaction was for Casemiro though.

The Brazilian looked genuinely moved as he made his way slowly to the touchline when he was replaced by Mason Mount nine minutes from time, shaking hands with team-mates on the way.

Joshua Zirkzee came close to adding another for the hosts just before the end. But it didn't really matter on a day when Fernandes and Casemiro took centre stage.

Elliot Anderson is Manchester United's number one midfield target to replace Casemiro this summer.

United know that Manchester City, among plenty of others, are also keen - and they are also unwilling to pay £120m for the England man.

However, as auditions go, this was a pretty good one.

Unlike another midfield option Carlos Baleba, who failed to make any impression when he played at Old Trafford for Brighton earlier this season, Anderson shone.

His covering play was efficient, but he also excelled in making the kind of driving run out of midfield that Casemiro, for all his attributes, can no longer do - and his cross for Morato's equaliser was perfect.

Clearly, Forest have a desire to drive the price up as high as possible as they look at a rebuild, after dicing too close to relegation for owner Evangelos Marinakis' liking.

While Anderson's exit appears certain, the future of skipper Morgan Gibbs-White is also the subject of intense debate.

Gibbs-White seemed certain to join Tottenham last summer but instead signed a new long-term deal with Forest.

His importance to the side cannot be understated, and his absence from the second leg of the Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa was a significant factor in Forest's eventual defeat.

Wearing a face mask to protect the massive scarring on his face, Gibbs-White ghosted into space inside the penalty area midway through the first half and was only denied by Senne Lammens' save with his feet. When he did something similar in the second, his first-time finish found the bottom corner.

Forest will be reluctant to lose that game intelligence in the same summer as Anderson's industry.

Manchester United complete their Premier League campaign at Brighton on Sunday, 24 May (16:00 BST).

At the same time, Nottingham Forest will entertain Bournemouth at the City Ground.