Nottingham: Despite looking a little sluggish and not at their best against Nottingham Forest who were full of energy and ambition, City, scoring a goal in each half, registered a 2-0 win and with a game in hand are just a point behind Premier League leaders Arsenal. They still look a good bet for a fourth consecutive league title having extended their unbeaten run in the league to 19 games.
City manager, Pep Guardiola said: “I don’t think Arsenal will drop any more points. We have four games left and it’s like climbing a big mountain. If we draw a game we are not going to win the league. The performance here was not particularly good.”
Reflecting on the win, which marked his 300th Premier League game, Guardiola added: “It was more than hard, but we knew that. It’s always difficult to come here. We suffered a lot, in the end, we’ll take it. The pressure is about how you play. If you play well and control the game, then people say you don’t feel the pressure. If you play badly, they say you feel the pressure.”
Forest could have taken at least a point from this game but for missed chances two of which fell to striker Chris Wood. City, however, went into the lead in the 32nd minute with defender Josko Gvardiol breaking free to meet the corner kick taken by Kevin De Bruyne and putting in a powerful header into the net. It was the 23rd time this season that Forest had conceded from a set-piece, more than any side in the Premier League.
The first glaring miss by Wood came soon after, in the 38th minute when a cut-back from Gonzalo Montiel went through Wood’s legs when it seemed certain he would equalise if only he had just stopped the ball.
Forest could even have taken the lead two minutes into the second half after Anthony Elanga beat Kyle Walker at the byline and gave a back-pass inside from which a left-footed shot by Wood lacked power and was blocked by Gvardiol. Had he not done so, City’s substitute goalkeeper Ortega, replacing the injured Ederson, was in position to save the weak shot.
City brought on Erling Haaland, who had missed the two previous games with injury, to replace Jack Grealish on the hour. The Norwegian didn’t take long to put his team two up with his 32nd goal of the season.
It came with 19 minutes of normal time remaining. De Bruyne passed to Haaland on the right and the striker made space for himself going past and round Murillo before placing a right-footed shot into the bottom corner inside the far past.
Forest have had four points deducted for breach of profitability and sustainability rules of the league and have appealed against it. Their manager, Nuno Espirito Santo said: “We’re waiting on that decision. We’re hoping it’s very soon so we can deal with the reality. We don’t know exactly how many points we’re on – 26, 28 or 30. It will make a big difference. Not just for us but for all the league.”
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