The home side made a horrible start when they conceded two goals within the first five minutes of the game against Steve Cooper’s visitors.
Christian Eriksen brought them back into the game when he poked in a low cross from Marcus Rashford in the 17th minute, but Forest were still in the lead at half-time.
Casemiro levelled things up when Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and the Brazilian carried out a training ground routine from a free-kick to score.
Joe Worrall’s red card in the 67th minute did not help Forest’s cause and the Manchester United skipper scored the winner from a spot-kick after Rashford was fouled inside the penalty box.
Fernandes conceded that his side made a poor star but stressed the importance of the fact that they did not lose their head and dominated the ball to get back into the game.
He insisted that he always knew that the team had time to change things in the game but admitted that they cannot afford to concede such sloppy goals all the time despite the spirit and character the players showed to get back into the game.
Fernandes was quoted as saying by the BBC: “It wasn’t the perfect start for us but we kept control, kept the ball and started doing the right things.
“They defended well with a lot of players and it was difficult to get through, but we got the result and that’s the most important thing.
“I knew we had time to change the situation, but we kept calm.
“We started to keep the ball at the back and gain confidence, and after that, the game was always on our side. We created a lot of shots in the first half.
“Overall, the performance was really good apart from those [first] four minutes.
“We know what it means to be a Manchester United player. We know this shirt demands a lot and we are ready for that.
“The team showed great spirit, passion and desire. We just need to be aware that we can’t concede so early.”
Manchester United have a tough assignment ahead of the international break when they will face Arsenal a week from Sunday.
