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Nottingham Forest vs Man City LIVE: Premier League result and reaction after Haaland scores in victory

Nottingham Forest vs Man City LIVE: Premier League result and reaction after Haaland scores in victory

Manchester City will seek to keep the pressure on Arsenal in the Premier League title race when they head to Nottingham Forest on Sunday evening - and could indeed jump above the Gunners, depending on their result earlier on against Tottenham.

With Liverpool having fallen away badly in the past few weeks, it’s now very much just a two-horse race in the final stretch, with City aiming to retain their title yet again. They are in fact in the hunt for the domestic double, given they will face Man United in the FA Cup final, too.

As for Forest, it’s still all about survival and they need to focus on their football after a week of berating officials for costing them points. The fact remains that Nuno’s side are one place above the relegation zone and only a point clear of Luton - but maybe more worrisome, two points clear of Burnley who are the more in-form side.

Follow the live action below and see the Nottingham Forest vs Man City prediction and odds here.

Nottingham Forest vs Man City LIVE

  • Kick-off at the City Ground at 4:30pm BST

  • Man City team news: Phil Foden and Ruben Dias out, Erling Haaland on the bench

  • Forest team news: Nuno lines up with back five against champions

  • GOAL 32’ - De Bruyne’s corner headed in by Gvardiol at the near post (0-1)

  • GOAL 71’ - Haaland slots a finish into the far corner past Sels (0-2)

Nottingham Forest FC 0 - 2 Manchester City FC

Kevin de Bruyne’s latest double act makes Man City the unconvincing unstoppables

18:49 , Chris Wilson

On such days, Manchester City may be the unconvincing unstoppables. This was scarcely the most glorious demonstration of Pep Guardiola’s philosophy but churn or grind out four more wins and they will have a fourth consecutive Premier League title, regardless of what Arsenal do.

Weakened by injury and illness, put under pressure by Nottingham Forest, below par with their passing, City still prevailed. It may have been the result of champions. It is harder to claim it was the performance of them. But City had Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland, one the best player on the pitch, the other a scoring substitute, and a little fortune.

And if Forest have a latest set of grievances, it should be with themselves. Condemned to defeat by their failings in both boxes, by their latest piece of disastrous defending at a set-piece and by an inability to take presentable chances, they could reflect on what might have been.

This was a reminder that their fate rests in their own hands, regardless of their agenda with officials and the Premier League.

De Bruyne’s latest double act makes Man City the unconvincing unstoppables

Ederson injury leaves Man City fearing goalkeeper could miss Premier League and FA Cup double chase

19:26 , Chris Wilson

Manchester City are waiting to see if Ederson is out for the rest of the season and will have to sit out their pursuit of the double after suffering a shoulder injury in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

The goalkeeper, who was substituted at half-time after being hurt in a collision with Forest defender Willy Boly, left the City Ground with his arm in a sling.

“It doesn’t look good,” admitted manager Pep Guardiola. “We see tomorrow with the doctor.”

Ederson injury leaves Man City fearing goalkeeper could miss double chase

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

19:19 , Chris Wilson

Nuno Espirito Santo is last to speak to Sky.

“I think we played a good game. We had chances, we did a good job regarding how hard it is to play against Manchester City.

“With this attitude, we’re going to achieve what we want.

“We are disappointed with the result, the encouragement comes from the way we work, how committed we are, and what we have ahead of us. This is more important. We stay positive and we go for the next three games.”

Regarding the playing surface potentially playing a role in the result, he says he “doesn’t know”.

“We are disappointed with the result. We [need to] stay positive. I think we are working very hard, but it’s important that we keep producing, because the final touch will come.”

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

19:10 , Chris Wilson

Guardiola is next to speak to Sky, and he says that Forest had “a lot of quality”.

“It was a difficult game, they played with bravery. They have fast players with a lot of quality so we found a goal in the moment when it was 10 against 11.

“It is a great victory as we had a lot of games behind us. Now we have a long week to recover.”

He adds that “the game changed when Bernardo [Silva] came inside and made a lot of passes.

“It was difficult because the opponents were so tough, aggressive. These game are so, so difficult at this stage.”

On the half-time changes, he says that Ederson is injured, and Kovacic was brought on for “the extra passes that we need”.

Asked about Arsenal and Liverpool, he says “everything can happen”.

“What happened to Liverpool can happen to us, can happen to Arsenal.

“It’s just, now, we have time to prepare for the finals that we have and the FA Cup final.”

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:56 , Chris Wilson

Roy Keane expects City to win the title from here, saying that Guardiola’s side “will win all the rest of their matches now”.

“It’s all about getting results at this stage of the season. Pep, given the standards he sets, will certainly be concerned with the chances they gave up in the first half, but they had a lot more control in the second half.

“It’s the same old story with City, even when they are not at their best.

“They know how to win football matches, they have good options off the bench, and they have got into a really good habit of winning matches in recent years.”

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:43 , Chris Wilson

Haaland and Gvardiol are speaking to Sky.

Gvardiol says that he “found himself in a good position” for his goal, while Haaland calls it “an important win”.

“It doesn’t matter how we do it, it’s about winning. We knew it was going to be a fight, but we can’t complain, it’s about winning and that’s exactly what we did.”

Asked if the Arsenal result was in the back of their minds, Gvardiol replies that they “need to be focused”, and will be playing “four more finals”.

“If you overthink, you’ll go crazy,” adds Haaland.

“Relax, enjoy and focus on the next one.”

18:37 , Chris Wilson

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Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:28 , Chris Wilson

FULL-TIME! The referee blows the whistle and City remain firmly in the driving seat for a fourth successive title.

For Forest, it’s a day of nearly opportunities. Chris Wood will be going to bed with regrets, that’s for sure.

For the away side, attention turns to next week’s home game against Wolves as they continue to hunt down Arsenal at the top of the table.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:27 , Chris Wilson

94 mins: Bobb wins the ball in the Forest half, and the ball is threaded through to Haaland, who almost squeezes it past Sels.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:25 , Chris Wilson

92 mins: Forest win a free-kick and Reyna delivers once more, but Walker cushions it back to Ortega.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:22 , Chris Wilson

89 mins: Woods goes in for the cross but Ortega collects easily. Five minutes of added time.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:20 , Chris Wilson

88 mins: City make two subs, as Matheus Nunes and Oscar Bobb come on for Kevin De Bruyne and and Julian Alvarez.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:19 , Chris Wilson

87 mins: Just as I write that, Hudson-Odoi swings in a half-cross, half-shot that is sneaking into the far corner, but Ortega manages to save it.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:18 , Chris Wilson

85 mins: Forest are still probing when in possession, but there’s little threat.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:15 , Chris Wilson

82 mins: It’s petering out somewhat as both sides look like they’ve accepted this result.

Ibrahim Sangare comes on for Boly.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:12 , Chris Wilson

80 mins: City look comfortable now, with Haaland skipping over three challenges but just failing to get a shot away.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:09 , Chris Wilson

77 mins: Gibbs-White wins a foul in the City half, and the home side push men forward for it.

Reyna delivers towards Boly, who scoops it back into the box, but Ortega collects.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:08 , Chris Wilson

76 mins: Forest win a corner but City clear easily. Just beforehand, Wood had failed to manage the shot from an inviting cross in.

Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:06 , Chris Wilson

74 mins: That looks like game over, and Forest make three changes.

Elanga, Murillo and Danilo come off for Gio Reyna, Andrew Omobamidele and Ryan Yates.

GOAL! Forest 0-2 Man City - LIVE

18:04 , Chris Wilson

70 mins: GOAL! Of course it’s him, and it’s so simple.

De Bruyne collects the pass near halfway and slips it to Haaland, who’s one-v-one with Murillo. He shapes to shoot with his left foot but drags it past Murillo and hits it across Sels with his weaker foot and into the opposite corner.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

18:00 , Chris Wilson

68 mins: City have a lot more control than they did at the start of the half.

De Bruyne collects the ball near the Forest box and hits a long-range effort that forces a good save from Sels.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:58 , Chris Wilson

66 mins: Murillo wins a last-ditch challenge to win the ball from De Bruyne and prevent a 2-on-1 City attack.

He plays it long to Elanga, whose cross just evades Wood in the box.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:56 , Chris Wilson

64 mins: Wood collects the pass from Niakhate, but his pass to Murillo is poor and the latter is dispossessed by Rodri.

City have sustained possession again.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:54 , Chris Wilson

63 mins: Haaland creates a chance almost immediately as he holds the ball up from the throw and lays it off to De Bruyne. He slides the ball through to Alvarez, who drives towards goal and fires a shot wide.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:53 , Chris Wilson

61 mins: Jack Grealish comes off for Haaland, who has four goals against Forest in his career so far.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:52 , Chris Wilson

60 mins: Haaland is getting ready on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Gvardiol drives forward before losing the ball to Boly.

Aina is found on the overlap by Hudson-Odoi, but his cross is weak.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:50 , Chris Wilson

59 mins: Hudson-Odoi slips away from Akanji and clips in a cross which makes its way across the box to Montiel, but his half-volleyed attempt is blocked.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:49 , Chris Wilson

58 mins: A little more calm now from City, as Grealish is brought down by Boly on halfway.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:48 , Chris Wilson

57 mins: The home crowd are doing a good job in urging Forest forward, but nothing to show for it yet.

Guardiola looks irritated on the sidelines.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:46 , Chris Wilson

55 mins: Gvardiol bursts forward and fizzes in the cross, but but Aina wins it before Silva can get to the end of it.

Forest break forward, and Aina beats Walker, but the home side can’t capitalise.

Grealish and De Bruyne are down briefly.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:44 , Chris Wilson

53 mins: Montiel plays another long ball forward, again to Elanga, but Kovacic manages to clear.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:43 , Chris Wilson

51 mins: City clear towards Alvarez, but Forest deal with it easily. The long ball is played towards Elanga, who’s won the footrace and is one-on-one, but his lobbed effort flies wide. He was offside anyway.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:42 , Chris Wilson

50 mins: Rodri clips it wide to Bernardo Silva, but Murillo clears the cross.

Forest counter, and Montiel lays it off to Gibbs-White on the outside of the box, but his side-footed effort flies just wide.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:41 , Chris Wilson

49 mins: Forest lose the ball trying to play out from the back, and City have sustained possession for the first time in the half.

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:39 , Chris Wilson

46 mins: CLOSE! Wood again!

Elanga picks the ball up on the left and skips past Walker before squaring it to Wood. It’s such an easy chance, around seven yards out, but Wood just scuffs it and fails to make a proper connection!

Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:37 , Chris Wilson

Two changes for City at half-time as Ederson and Doku are replaced by Ortega and Mateo Kovacic.

The away side get us underway again.

17:33 , Chris Wilson

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HT - Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:27 , Karl Matchett

De Bruyne in the action once more for City - but Forest have had more than their share of chances.

HT - Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:22 , Karl Matchett

De Bruyne has the final shot of the half with an effort on the turn but it’s blocked, cleared and the half-time whistle goes.

City ahead but not necessarily in control, with Forest certainly giving plenty and looking a threat off set-pieces. If Chris Wood had his shooting boots on it could have been a different story already.

45+2’ - Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:19 , Karl Matchett

So close to an equaliser. A corner hits the near post area, Ederson again flaps at it and gets next to nothing on the ball, it drops to Murillo and the defender flicks it goalward, up onto the crossbar and over.

44’ - Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:17 , Karl Matchett

Four minutes added on.

Forest have battled gamely in this first half but have lacked the finishing touch. City haven’t been at their best, but they have scored one and gone close on at least another one occasion.

40’ - Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:13 , Karl Matchett

Gibbs-White leads a counter and Hudson-Odoi cuts infield before shooting over - he wants a foul after having his heel clipped but it’s probably not a free-kick, just a collision.

At the other end Alvarez and Gvardiol almost combine but the ball’s just over the defender’s head and Forest clear.

36’ - Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:09 , Karl Matchett

Well, simply put, Forest cannot miss chances like that. Elanga and Aina combine, the latter crosses and Montiel - on for the injured Williams - lays it off for Wood...and the striker misses the ball completely, three yards from goal and with the keeper on the floor.

Absolute shocker.

GOAL! 32’ - Forest 0-1 Man City - LIVE

17:04 , Karl Matchett

And from the corner comes the opening goal!

De Bruyne whips it into the near post and there’s Josko Gvardiol, rising highest to bullet in a header, beating Selz at the near post and putting City a goal ahead.

31’ - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

17:03 , Karl Matchett

Neco Williams makes a good block on Grealish as the winger looks to cross but seems to tweak his hamstring slightly in doing so. He needs some attention from the medical team and as he walks to the side of the pitch he doesn’t look overly comfortable.

Corner for City meantime.

28’ - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

17:00 , Karl Matchett

Aina bursts in momentarily behind Walker but he doesn’t quite control properly and the moment is gone. Eventually a cross reaches Wood but it’s an awkward angle and distance and his header loops harmlessly over the crossbar.

24’ - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

16:58 , Karl Matchett

Bit of a stoppage for treatment to a head injury in the Forest box.

No particular causes for complaint from officials’ decisions in the opening quarter of this game for the hosts, you’ll - and they’ll - be delighted to hear.

Once or twice now though the fans have sounded frustration, but mostly at their own players for not making the most of counter-attacking chances.

20’ - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

16:54 , Karl Matchett

Certainly an intent from the hosts to push forward when they can, at pace and down the wings. City dominant on the ball as you’d expect but not too many clear-cut openings overall just yet.

De Bruyne is seeing plenty of the ball but hasn’t quite been able to find the space to play his clever passes through the gap into the box.

Grealish now goes down after a foul from Danilo who maybe is lucky to not get booked.

16' - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

16:48 , Karl Matchett

Doku again involved as he lashes a shot wide, then at the other end Williams evades Grealish and whacks in a near-post shot - parried past the post by Ederson.

Ederson fumbles the corner next time it comes in but as he goes to then claim the next cross he’s ploughed into by Boly in midair - no foul, just both jumping and the ball never actually reached them.

The goalkeeper needs a bit of treatment.

12' - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

16:45 , Karl Matchett

Doku tracks back and merely bundles Elanga to the ground, conceding a free-kick. Gibbs-White whips it over the wall, but a yard over the bar too. Doku himself is then fouled at the other end after dancing between two, Aina perhaps knocking him over eventually.

Murillo heads the set piece over his own bar with a good piece of defending, then another City corner is wasted as Silva miscontrols.

8’ - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

16:41 , Karl Matchett

Selz called into action as De Bruyne checks onto his right foot and curls one in low - tipped wide by the keeper. Already City’s midfield options dominating entirely the Forest pairing of Danilo and Gibbs-White. Technical and creative they are; defensively resolute perhaps not.

4’ - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

16:38 , Karl Matchett

De Bruyne delivers a corner and Doku almost gets a shot away.

Grealish winds himself into the area and De Bruyne this time has a go, can’t connect properly.

Open start to the game but the wonder will be how long Forest are happy to counter if they don’t get an early chance or two - the system today suggests they’ll be looking to be hard to break down, sit in shape and frustrate the visitors.

1’ - Forest 0-0 Man City - LIVE

16:33 , Karl Matchett

We are underway - and Forest almost ahead within about 20 seconds! A cross from the left finds Neco Williams running in at the far post, he catches the ball on the volley but it’s straight at a defender and deflected away to safety.

What a start that might have been.

Forest vs Man City - LIVE

16:27 , Karl Matchett

Kick-off just five minutes away.

City winning here will put them back to a point behind Arsenal with a game in hand. Forest start the match one point above the drop zone so anything here is a bit of bonus breathing space.

Forest vs Man City - LIVE

16:18 , Karl Matchett

Wing-backs for Forest today by the looks of things, leaving an attack-minded centre of the park. Gibbs-White and Danilo as a pairing doesn’t scream defensive resilience, if we’re honest.

Doku and Grealish both start for City, unusually, as Foden is ill.

“He’s not ready, he didn’t feel good so he’s back to Manchester,” Guardiola said of Foden.

Forest vs Man City - LIVE

16:12 , Karl Matchett

Under 20 minutes to go now until Man City have their turn - they will very much be expected to win against Forest of course, but Arsenal have certainly put the pressure on to leave little margin for error.

Arsenal edge out Spurs to keep pressure on City

16:10 , Lawrence Ostlere

Over in the north London derby, Arsenal did their job to sneak through and clinch three points to keep the pressure on City. You can re-live the drama here:

Tottenham vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result and final score

I don’t waste my time thinking about referees, says Man City boss Pep Guardiola

16:00 , Chris Wilson

But Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists he does not “spend one second” thinking about referees as he prepares to face Nottingham Forestin the wake of their high-profile criticism of match officials.

Guardiola, who takes his title-chasing side to the City Ground on Sunday afternoon, feels being preoccupied with refereeing appointments is a waste of his time.“I go to the game and I never ever know who is the referee,” he said.“When I see their face, it’s ‘oh, I remember that face’. I never in my life talk about the referees before, during or after – never ever, ever.

“A mistake can be a mistake and we are sad, and when it’s in our favour we are lucky.”

I don’t waste my time thinking about referees, says Man City boss Pep Guardiola

Nottingham Forest XI

15:51 , Lawrence Ostlere

It looks like Forest will play with three at the back, or more like five when City have the ball.

Nottingham Forest: Sels, Boly, Niakhate, Murillo, Williams, Danilo, Gibbs-White, Aina, Elanga, Wood, Hudson-Odoi.

Substitutes: Turner, Sangare, Toffolo, Reyna, Yates, Origi, Montiel, Omobamidele, Ribeiro.

Manchester City XI

15:41 , Lawrence Ostlere

The City team is in and Erling Haaland is on the bench! What’s more, there’s no Phil Foden, who is ill, and no Ruben Dias either. A glimmer of hope for Forest?

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker (C), Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Bernardo, De Bruyne, Doku, Grealish, Alvarez.

Substitutes: Ortega, Carson, Stones, Kovacic, Haaland, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis.

Premier League title race: Who has the best fixtures – Man City, Arsenal or Liverpool?

15:20 , Chris Wilson

Ahead of the incoming team news, a reminder of each of the contenders’ remaining Premier League games.

What was shaping up to be a three-way race for the title is now down to two challengers. Liverpool dropped points for the fourth time in five Premier League games as they were held to a 2-2 draw at West Ham, after a 2-0 defeat at Everton all but eliminated Jurgen Klopp’s from the title race.

With City in action in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend, both Arsenal and Liverpool were left with two games to play before City’s next Premier League fixture. Arsenal did their job, beating Wolves away and then thrashing Chelsea to move four points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side, though the champions have another game in hand after thrashing Brighton on Thursday night.

Here’s where the title could be won and lost...

Premier League title race: Who has the best fixtures in the run-in?

Pep Guardiola urges Manchester City to remain focused for title run-in

15:10 , Chris Wilson

Pep Guardiola had previously said that Liverpool’s surprise derby defeat to Everton served as a warning to his players ahead of a 4-0 thrashing of Brighton.

The City manager will be urging his players to heed of that advice again today as they face a Forest side that is battling to stay in the Premier League.

“I said to the players what happened to Liverpool can happen to us and can happen to Arsenal,” said the Spaniard.

“People didn’t expect them to lose against Crystal Palace and yesterday but it can happen to us – it’s football.

Pep Guardiola urges Manchester City to remain focused for title run-in

Pep Guardiola in dreamland as Manchester City chase fourth straight title

15:00 , Chris Wilson

Pep Guardiola admits it is “a dream come true” for Manchester City to be fighting for a fourth successive Premier League title as he prepares to face a Nottingham Forest team fuelled by perceived injustice.

City boss Guardiola guided his side to the treble last season but feared the club may not able to sustain its relentless pursuit of silverware this term.

The reigning champions are in control of their own destiny as they prepare to begin their final five top-flight fixtures on Sunday afternoon at what is expected to be a hostile City Ground.

“Fighting again for the Premier League is a dream come true.

“I could not expect it, honestly. I know the dream was to be there but what happened in the past, I thought this season I might not be able to do it.”

Pep Guardiola in dreamland as Manchester City chase fourth straight title

Nottingham Forest vs Man City prediction: Champions to darken mood at City Ground

14:50 , Chris Wilson

City are unsurprisingly the favourites for today’s game, priced at 2/7. A draw is offered at 5/1, while a home win has odds of 11/1.

City are a best-price 2/5 in the Premier League odds to win the title due to the emphatic nature of their response to Arsenal’s win over Chelsea.

Early team news

14:45 , Chris Wilson

Taiwo Awoniyi could again miss out for Nottingham Forest, while Willy Boly remains sidelined.

Erling Haaland is again a doubt for Manchester City having missed their last two games. Pep Guardiola is again likely to shuffle his squad as he manages minutes in a busy run-in.

Is Nottingham Forest vs Man City on TV? Time, channel and how to watch

14:40 , Chris Wilson

Nottingham Forest host Manchester City in a key fixture at both ends of the Premier League table.

Pep Guardiola’s title chasers kept up their pursuit of a fourth consecutive title by sweeping aside Brighton on Thursday night, showcasing ominous intent as the run-in heats up.

The club control their own destiny with a game in hand over rivals Arsenal and Liverpool still to come, though their hosts will be out to throw them off course.

After plenty of noise around the defeat to Everton, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will hope to make a statement on the pitch as they look to stave off relegation.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Is Nottingham Forest vs Man City on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch

Follow Tottenham vs Arsenal LIVE

14:35 , Chris Wilson

In the day’s other big game at the top of the table, Arsenal have travelled across north London to face local rivals Tottenham

That game started at 2pm, and you can follow it below.

Tottenham vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League team news and line-ups

Nottingham Forest vs Man City LIVE

14:25 , Lawrence Ostlere

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s game between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s side face a struggling Forest side as they look to continue the chase on league leaders Arsenal, who have played one game more than the Cityzens.