Our 3️⃣ points as Manchester City beat Forest to continue title march | OneFootball

Manchester City rode their luck to beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 in a result that has major implications on both the Premier League title race and the fight for survival.

Joško Gvardiol headed the champions into the lead in the first half before Erling Haaland marked his return in typical fashion, sealing the victory in the second half with a very well-taken goal.

Here is what we made of events at the City Ground.

City survive one of their toughest tests yet

Having drawn in the fixture last season and Forest fighting for their Premier League lives, there was always the possibility that today could have proved a banana skin for City.

That thought only grew when Neco Williams had the home side’s first chance after just 24 seconds, setting the tone for what was an uncomfortable afternoon for Pep Guardiola’s men.

They lacked their usual rhythm, which was clearly not helped by the absence of Phil Foden and Rúben Dias through illness and only bench roles for John Stones and the returning Erling Haaland.

Still, City got the job done with goals in either half, and the chances of them performing this poorly again in their remaining four league games are extremely unlikely.

It can only give Arsenal fans that agonising feeling that Liverpool fans had in both 2018/19 and 2021/22 when City reeled off win after win in the narrowest of title races.

Can anyone stop them? Almost certainly not.

Forest left ruing missed chances as survival bid falters

Admittedly, City were nowhere near their best today but that was partly because of how Forest played.

The Reds were energetic from the kick-off, perhaps sensing the need to catch the champions on the hop early on, and looked dangerous whenever they pushed forward.

However, despite causing the champions problems throughout the first half, they could not apply the finishing touch even when the goal was their mercy.

Chris Wood came into the game off the back of four goals in his last six games, and generally excellent form since Nuno Espírito Santo’s arrival but he twice couldn’t sort his feet out when presented with great chances.

His first-half miss from six yards was then topped by Murillo. The Brazilian defender somehow poked the ball over the box when it appeared implausible that the net wouldn’t bulge.

Their misses were always likely to cost them against City, and may in their bid for Premier League survival. With three games left, Forest are just a point clear of Luton but the real concern is Burnley, who are a point further back but the team in form at the bottom of the table.

Forest travel to Turf Moor on the final day of the season in what may be a straight shootout with Vincent Kompany’ side.

Before then, they face already-relegated Sheffield United and the always-unpredictable Chelsea. A result will likely be needed in one if the City Ground is to host top-flight football again next season.

Clutch players make City near-impossible to beat

It’s now 31 games unbeaten for City but remarkably, few could say they have been at the levels seen last season across the campaign. Does it even matter though?

Even when Guardiola’s side are not at their best, they can still be bailed out by one or two of the several world-class players in their squad.

Often this season, it has been Foden but with the England man absent today, De Bruyne stepped up again in the clutch with two more assists, while Haaland came off the bench to remind everyone that he is the best pure goalscorer in the game.

Throw in Bernardo Silva, match winner in the FA Cup semi-final, and Rodri, the go-to-guy on numerous occasions, and City just seem to always have a get out of jail free card at their disposal.

It’s why they’re just so hard to beat. They’ll either blow you away with a brilliant team display or a big-time player will do it again in the big moment.

There’s 115 question marks surrounding all of the City’ success (and the credibility of the whole league) but for now, their golden team doesn’t appear to show any signs of slowing down.