Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League with a hard fought 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, but they were made to work for every bit of it. A flat first half gave way to a much livelier second, with Rayan Cherki’s late goal ultimately settling the contest.
Forest pushed City right to the end and will feel they were unlucky not to take something from the game.
The first half was low on quality and high on interruptions. City controlled the ball for long spells, seeing plenty of possession without really threatening the Forest goal. Forest were compact and disciplined, allowing little space and keeping City mostly at arm’s length.
Phil Foden did manage to whip in a couple of inviting crosses from wide areas, but Forest defended them well. Chances were scarce, and neither side managed a shot on target before the break.
The half was summed up by its physical edge rather than any real attacking rhythm, with Ruben Dias and Elliot Anderson both shown yellow cards as the game became increasingly stop start.
Forest came out with real intent early in the second half and nearly took the lead straight away. Igor Jesus drove into the box and went to ground under pressure from Dias, earning a free kick in a dangerous area. Anderson stepped up, but his effort was comfortably dealt with by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
That moment seemed to wake City up.
Not long after, City broke the deadlock. Rayan Cherki slipped a clever pass down the left side of the box for Tijani Reijnders, who smashed a low finish under John Victor to put City ahead. It was a sharp move and a ruthless end to it.
City looked to press on, with Cherki again causing problems and forcing Victor into a smart save at his near post. But Forest refused to sit back.
The home side hit back quickly. Igor Jesus fired a dangerous ball across the face of goal from the left and Omari Hutchinson arrived to drive it home past Donnarumma, sending the City Ground into life.
Forest continued to ask questions as the half progressed. Neco Williams tested Donnarumma with a driven effort, and moments later City were forced into more defending as Forest pushed for a second.
At the other end, Victor produced an excellent save to deny Foden, keeping Forest level as the game entered its closing stages. Tempers flared briefly when Pep Guardiola was booked following a disputed free kick, adding to the sense of tension.
The decisive moment arrived late on. Josko Gvardiol flicked the ball down inside the box and Cherki reacted quickest, smashing his shot through the legs of Morgan Gibbs-White and into the net. It was a clinical finish at a crucial time.
Forest tried to find another response but City managed the final moments calmly, seeing the game out.
City dominated possession again in the second half and created the better chances overall, even if Forest stayed competitive throughout. The victory sends City top of the table ahead of Arsenal's match against Brighton later today.
Forest remain 17th, still five points clear of the bottom three, and can take encouragement from a performance that showed resilience and belief despite the defeat.
