Manchester City surrendered leads twice in a 2-2 home draw with Nottingham Forest, dropping two more points as Arsenal’s advantage at the top stretched to seven points after their midweek win over Brighton. The two sides will meet again at the Etihad in mid-April live on Sky Sports — by then the title picture may have shifted, but for now Arsenal hold the upper hand.
On a night when City lacked finesse and midfield balance without Nico O’Reilly, the scoring swung back and forth. Antoine Semenyo put City ahead, Morgan Gibbs-White replied with an improvised back-flick, and Rodri restored the lead before Elliot Anderson completed the comeback with a composed finish after a clever one-two with Callum Hudson-Odoi. The equaliser came shortly after Erling Haaland had a penalty appeal rejected, a decision that left City frustrated.
Forest offered plenty of spirit and defensive organisation, creating fewer openings than their hosts but finishing the chances that mattered. Anderson’s second-half run and finish stunned the home crowd and underlined how clinical Forest were when given space to break.
City pressed late for a winner. In stoppage time Rodri slid a half-chance wide from Savinho’s cutback and Semenyo’s late free-kick sailed narrowly over as the home side threw bodies forward. At the very last moment Savinho’s attempt was cleared off the line by Murillo, a heroic block that preserved Forest’s point. How costly this draw will prove in May remains to be seen; momentum and the initiative currently lie with Arsenal.
Player ratings:
Man City: Donnarumma 5, Nunes 6, Dias 6, Guehi 6, Ait-Nouri 7, Rodri 7, Cherki 7, Bernardo 7, Foden 6, Semenyo 7, Haaland 5. Subs: Doku 6, Khusanov 6, Savinho 6.
Nottingham Forest: Sels 6, Murillo 7, Milenkovic 6, Cunha 6, Aina 7, Williams 6, Anderson 8, Sangare 6, Dominguez 7, Gibbs-White 8, Jesus 7. Subs: Hudson-Odoi 7, Awoniyi 5, Morato 6, Yates 6.
Player of the Match: Elliot Anderson
Bernardo on the match and decisions: “We’re quite used to it this season. All the 50-50s have gone against us. It’s the reality. I’ve just watched the Erling incident. For me, it’s a penalty. Some people might argue a different opinion. What can Erling do? We’re used to it this season. We know how it works. Our job is just to be better, because we cannot control these things. What we can control is our own performances, and that is what we need to focus on.”
Pep Guardiola reflected on the long run of fixtures and his team’s performance, saying there are “still many games to play” and stressing the need to keep improving. On City’s tendency to drop points from winning positions he said: “Maybe it is a lot. There are games where maybe we don’t deserve it. Today we play in general good. OK, we could stop the transition but we create a lot against a team that is so defensive. We were dynamic and we missed contact with Erling a bit, we have to look for him more but apart from that.” On Haaland’s penalty appeal he added: “About that subject I spoke weeks ago. We have to do it much better. It’s our responsibility to do better, we cannot rely on officials. It’s impossible. Nothing more to say, I’ve said it in the past.”
Forest head coach Vitor Pereira praised his side’s resilience and adaptability given a compressed schedule: “A tough game, but with a lot of personality by my team. With quality, organisation, and one less day to recover, which is not easy. Five games in 15 days with travel, and it’s not easy to perform at this level. I’m happy with my players. Two fantastic goals, that’s why our supporters follow us. The last minutes playing here, they push us, they try everything to get something.” On staying outside the relegation zone he added that proving they can take points anywhere is vital and credited quick tactical preparation despite limited training time.
Match stats and more detailed analysis are available via Sky Sports. Upcoming fixtures: Man City fixtures, Nottingham Forest fixtures, and the full Premier League schedule.