Manchester City maintained a touching distance from Arsenal on Sunday thanks to a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Josko Gvardiol's goals and the return of Erling Haaland won City, who are now one point behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League having played one game less.
The Citizens worked for the three points on Sunday, while Forest created a number of chances in this tense Premier League game.
How the game happened
Despite Nottingham Forest's good start to the game, it would be Manchester City who would create the first clear chance of the game at the City Ground, with their star players Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri creating the opportunity.
Rodri stole the ball from Morgan Gibbs-White in the final third to attack City, and De Bruyne got in the ball to finish quickly after – seeing an effort from the left of the penalty area saved by Rodri's fingertips. Matz Sels in the forest goal.
After probing and probing the Forest backline for the best part of the first hour of the game, City would finally get their goal through Josko Gvardiol. The full-back rose to the top of the near post to head home De Bruyne's cross to make it 1-0.
Forest pushed forward with real purpose after falling behind, Chris Wood missing a stunning chance to restore parity at the City Ground. The New Zealand striker was found completely unmarked seven yards from goal by a clever cross from Gonzalo Montiel into his own area, but due to the gap, he swung wide and struck the ball – seeing it go wide of the penalty area. instead of going into the back of the net.
The home side missed another good chance before the break, Murillo pushing the ball over the bar from the set-piece after Ederson missed a clearance.
In an attempt to dampen Forest's momentum, Pep Guardiola opted to bring on Mateo Kovacic and off Jeremy Doku – who seemed inconsistent at the back in the first half.
He said the changes failed to stop Callum Hudson-Odoi carving through Man City's defense in the first few minutes of the second half, however, when the Chelsea player ran past Kyle Walker down the left before finding Wood with a clever pass. .
While Wood was able to connect with the ball this time, he saw his effort on the side of the goal cleared off the line by Guardiol following back.
After weathering a storm of Forest attacks in the first 15 minutes of the half, Man City began to press forward in search of a crucial second goal.
De Bruyne came close to scoring that goal, forcing Sels to save with an effort from outside the box, before substitute Erling Haaland made it 2-0 in clinical fashion.
After injury time, the striker latched on to De Bruyne's clever strike before slotting past Murillo and back into the net to seal all three points for City.
GK: Matz Sels – 6/10 – He made a couple of good saves, denying De Bruyne twice.
RWB: Neco Williams – N/A – Came off injured after 30 minutes.
CB: Willy Boly – 6/10 – He won an impressive 10 duels during his time on the field. He made the least mistake of the day.
CB: Murillo – 6/10 – Hit the crossbar in the first round and face Julian Alvarez well. He struggled to contain Erling Haaland once he was introduced.
CB: Moussa Niakhate – 4/10 – A less involved member of the Forest backline, the Senegalese defender struggled to compete with City's world-class attackers.
LWB: Ola Aina – 6/10 – He enjoyed a few notable breakthroughs and faced Doku and Silva defensively.
RM: Anthony Elanga – 5/10 – It wasn't working the way Hlathi had hoped it would.
CM: Danilo – 6/10 – He worked hard throughout the park.
CM: Morgan Gibbs-White – 5/10 – He has struggled in a deeper role in the field. Obviously a better player if he plays more on the park.
LM: Callum Hudson-Odoi – 7/10 – A constant threat down the left side, causing Walker a number of problems.
ST: Chris Wood – 2/10 – You missed two great opportunities. You can't do that against Man City.
What you are holding
SUB: Gonzalo Montiel (34' for Williams) – 6/10 – Passed well a couple of times, creating a chance for Wood in the first half.
SUB: Andrew Omobamidele (74' for Murillo) – 5/10
SUB: Giovanni Reyna (74' for Elanga) – 5/10
SUB: Ryan Yates (74' for Danilo) – 5/10
SUB: Ibrahim Sangare (84' for Boly) – N/A
Manager – Nuno Espirito Santo – 7/10 – Forest actually played well and Santo's decision to use a back five worked. It was just a shame that Wood missed so many opportunities.
GK: Ederson – 4/10 – He struggled in the first half, hitting the ball in the corner to give Murillo a good chance. He was caught on leave due to a suspicious injury.
RB: Kyle Walker – 4/10 – Hudson-Odoi was beaten by Walker in a way that few wide players tend to do.
CB: Manuel Akanji – 6/10 – He used the ball well in possession, completing 96% of his passes, and won 100% of his tackles.
CB: Nathan Ake – 6/10 – He made a couple of notable follow-up runs as Forest went up.
LB: Josko Guardiol – 8/10 – He scored the opening goal and made a goal-line stand at the other end to prevent Wood from equalizing. A great day at the office, all around.
DM: Rodri – 7/10 – Typical Rodri performance: 100% takedowns won, 94% passes, and won five duels.
RM: Jeremy Doku – 3/10 – He refused to track back, causing his team to have problems defensively as a result. Released at halftime.
CM: Bernardo Silva – 5/10 – Not the most efficient outing from the Portugal international.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 8/10 – The man of the match on the pitch, De Bruyne assisted both of City's goals on the day.
LM: Jack Grealish – 4/10 – He spent more time trying to win fouls than he did trying to make a positive play. Not a good trip.
ST: Julain Alvarez – 6/10 – Failed to provide anything when playing up top, but started to make a play when he moved into the attacking midfield after Haaland's introduction.
What you are holding
SUB: Stefan Ortega (45' for Ederson) – 6/10
SUB: Mateo Kovacic (45' of Doku) – 6/10
SUB: Erling Haaland (60' by Erling Haaland) – 7/10 – He came in and scored a goal. It kills.
SUB: Matheus Nunes (89' for De Bruyne) – N/A
SUB: Oscar Bobb (89' for Alvarez) – N/A
Manager – Pep Guardiola – 7/10 – His team struggled in the first half, but his substitution turned the game in his team's favor.
Man of the Match: Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
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