Manchester City finally ended their seven-game winless run with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the Etihad. The result ends Pep Guardiola’s unprecedented winless streak, and moves City up to fourth place in the league while Forest remain sixth.
City weren’t at their scintillating best, but struck early to take the lead as the returning Kevin De Bruyne headed across goal to set up Bernardo Silva for a simple tap-in inside 10 minutes.
Josko Gvardiol then missed two guilt edge chances to double City’s lead before Chris Wood missed a golden opportunity to draw Forest level after latching onto a loose City back pass.
Just moments later, De Bruyne made Wood’s wastefulness pay with a typically accurate strike from inside the 18-yard box, giving Guardiola’s side a two-goal cushion after 30 minutes to relieve much of the tension inside the Etihad.
Forest made a quick start to the second period, but City weathered the early storm before finding a third goal on 57 minutes through a fabulous curling Jeremy Doku effort that effectively killed the game as a contest.
City pushed for a fourth goal as the half went on as Forest began to accept their fate in the tie. A win and a clean sheet are everything Guardiola could have hoped for from this game before his side face Crystal Palace at the weekend, while Forest will need to regroup as they remain in Manchester to face United at Old Trafford.
Talking Point – Are Man City still in the title race?
Following their torrid run of form and after being dismantled at Anfield, many were keen to write off the idea of City retaining their crown. Yet, after a comfortable 3-0 home win over a top-half side on a night where table-topping Liverpool also dropped points, things don’t seem as far-fetched.
The gap to Liverpool now sits at nine points, and with how formidable City can be in the latter stage of the season, you can never fully write off the champions. As he showed tonight, a fit and in-form De Bruyne can make a dramatic difference to this City side.
If Guardiola can keep the Belgian fit, there’s every chance the champions can drag themselves back into this title race.
Player of the Match – Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Making his first start in the league since September, the Belgian reminded everyone why he truly still is one of the stars of the Premier League tonight. He ran the show in the first half and was at the heart of everything good from City.
He set up the first with a clever header across goal, before scoring City’s second just after they had come under some serious pressure from Forest. De Bruyne could’ve easily had another goal or two in the second half if not for some fine goalkeeping from Matz Sels.
Crucially, like a true leader, the midfielder exuded confidence in a team that was severely lacking it and pushed City to three points tonight.
Player Ratings
Manchester City: Ortega 7, Dias 6, Ake 7, Gvardiol 6, Ankanji 6, Gundogan 6, Doku 8, Silva 6, De Bruyne 9, Grealish 7, Haaland 6. Subs: Walker 6, Lewis 5, McAtee 5, Nunes n/a, Savinho n/a.
Nottingham Forest: Sels 7, Aina 6, Milenkovic 6, Murillo 5, Moreno 6, Yates 4, Dominguez 6, Elanga 7, Gibbs-White 6, Silva 5, Wood 6. Subs: Morato 5, Awoniyi 5, Moreira 5, Anderson 6, Sosa 5.
Match Highlights
8’ GOAL! – MAN CITY 1-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST (SILVA) – Relief for City as they take the lead! Great work from Ake and Gundogan down the left sees the German released into the box. He dinks a cute ball to the back post which is met by the head of De Bruyne, who guides it across goal for Bernardo Silva to apply a simple tap in! That’ll do the world of good for Pep, his players and the home fans.
31’ GOAL! – MAN CITY 2-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST (DE BRUYNE) – Just as Forest almost equalise, City punish them at the other end! Doku skips past Yates before laying off to De Bruyne, who has time and space in the box to touch and turn before picking his spot to emphatically double City’s lead!
57’ GOAL! – MAN CITY 3-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST (DOKU) – What a goal from Doku – surely the win-less run is over now! A quick counter from City finds Doku in space on the left; the Belgian cuts inside and fires a fantastic strike into the bottom corner to give the champions an emphatic lead.
Key Stat
First appeared on www.eurosport.com