Manchester City reeled Premier League leaders Arsenal back in with a 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest as the title race heads towards a thrilling finale.
The Gunners moved four points clear when they beat Tottenham in a frantic north London derby earlier on Sunday, but City immediately responded thanks to goals from Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland at the City Ground.
Victory leaves them a point behind Mikel Arteta’s side with a game in hand and ensured Pep Guardiola’s 300th Premier League match in charge of City ended in success.
It is now 19 league games unbeaten as they perform their perennial trick of coming good just when it matters the most and they know they will be champions for a fourth successive year if they win their remaining four games.
Missing Phil Foden through illness, City were far from their best as Forest, fighting for their lives at the other end of the table, gave them an almighty scare, but could not convert several golden chances.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side remain in the relegation mire, sitting one point above 18th-placed Luton, though they will hope to recover at least one point from their appeal against the deduction for breaking Premier League financial rules.
Forest fans roundly booed the Premier League anthem before the kick-off in protest at their perceived VAR injustice at Everton last week and it made for a raucous atmosphere.
Yes, Josko! 😍
🌳 0-1 🩵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/L2T0eDwHpT
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 28, 2024
The roof would have come off the City Ground had Neco Williams converted a presentable chance after just 24 seconds, but the Wales international could not make proper contact with Ola Aina’s cross at the far post.
They could have done with that going in as City soon took control, with Kevin De Bruyne forcing a good save out of Matz Sels and Jeremy Doku drilling wide.
Forest’s main weakness this season has been defending set-pieces and they conceded for a 23rd time in the 32nd minute.
Gvardiol ran across his marker to the near post and flashed his header past a helpless Selz.
But City should have been pegged back six minutes later as Chris Wood spurned a great opportunity, completely missing his kick from six yards out from Gonzalo Montiel’s ball back across goal.
Forest were causing their own problems from set-pieces and had another chance to level in first-half stoppage time when Ederson, who was taken off at half-time, flapped at a corner and Murillo saw his close-range effort glance the crossbar.
Wood missed another golden chance soon after the restart as his close-range effort from Anthony Elanga’s cut-back was blocked by Gvardiol.
But teams simply cannot afford to miss chances of those quality against City and get away with it.
How things look after the weekend''s action 🎢
Who will reach the summit when all is said and done? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/SXd8c1IqhH
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 28, 2024
The introduction of Haaland in the 62nd minute swung the momentum back to the visitors and nine minutes later the Norwegian found the back of the net.
De Bruyne fed Haaland, who toyed with Murillo before slotting home with the type of clinical finishing Forest lacked at the other end.
It was his 21st league goal of the campaign and saw him move into the lead in the race for the Golden Boot.
It also gave City a cushion they were never going to let slip and they held out for an important victory.
Aston Villa captain John McGinn joked his side will “have our Man City tops on” on Tuesday after closing in on Champions League qualification with a 3-3 draw with Liverpool.Jhon Duran scored twice in the final 10 minutes as Villa came from 3-1 down to earn a vital point, which means they will be guaranteed a top-four spot if Tottenham fail to beat Manchester City on Tuesday night.If Sp...
Jhon Duran scored twice in the final 10 minutes to earn Aston Villa a thrilling 3-3 draw against Liverpool which moves them closer to Champions League qualification.Villa looked dead and buried as Emiliano Martinez’s astonishing gaffe handed the Reds a second-minute goal, which was cancelled out by Youri Tielemans, before strikes from Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah put them 3-1 up in Jurgen K...
Let's start our 7M Daily Laugh today. Arsenal will be rooting for their biggest rivals on Tuesday to help their title hopes Villa draw 3-3 vs. LiverpoolThere's still Champions League hope for Spurs next season The Old Trafford roof could be a problem for INEOS Emi Antony Meme Race for Spanish super cup is on ! Tottenham will decide The 2023-24 Premier League Winner! Please stay tuned o...
The future of Kevin De Bruyne at Man City remains uncertain and the Premier League champions have their eye on Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz as the Belgian’s replacement at the Etihad. De Bruyne’s contract at City expires in 2025 and with the midfielder turning 33 this summer, the Manchester club are not guaranteed to offer the player a new deal.With uncertainty surrounding th...
Real Madrid have been linked with a move for Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in recent months and transfer journalist Matteo Moretto states that the full-back is still an option for the La Liga giants. The right-back’s contract at Anfield expires in 2025 and there have been no talks over a renewal. Should the defender fail to pen a new deal, this summer would be the ideal time to se...
Sunderland youngster Chris Rigg could be set for a big money Premier League move.The Northern Echo states that Manchester United are ready to put in a bid for his signature.The almost 17-year-old has already played 21 times in the Championship for the Black Cats.However, he has not even signed a professional deal and is still on scholarship terms.United would be able to secure him for a modest fee...
Juventus are in talks with Manchester United for Mason Greenwood.The forward is on-loan with Getafe this season, where his form has attracted interest from across Europe.TMW says Juve are willing to splash out to sign Greenwood outright, knowing his deal will expire at the end of next season.Getafe president Angel Torres, however, has stated confidence of keeping hold of the youngster."He wants to...
A host of Bayern Munich players including Harry Kane are urging the club to keep Thomas Tuchel in charge next season.Tuchel due to leave Bayern this summer Guided club to UCL semi-finals Players divided on German's exitWHAT HAPPENED?Bayern's run of poor form in the league saw them forfeit their Bundesliga crown to Bayer Leverkusen, ending their run of 11 consecutive titles. As a result, the former...
LIVERPOOL are weighing up a shock swoop for Anthony Gordon, it's been claimed.Gordon has flourished in his first full season with Newcastle United, scoring 11 goals and racking up 11 assists for The Magpies.Anthony Gordon has been one of Newcastle's best players this season Credit: GETTYThe 23-year-old's fine form this campaign has seen Gareth Southgate reward him with his first two England caps.A...
SERGIO RAMOS is in "advanced negotiations" for a move to the MLS this summer, according to reports.The Real Madrid legend, 38, returned to boyhood club Sevilla last summer after two years with Paris Saint-Germain.Sergio Ramos' Sevilla contract is set to expire in the summer Credit: GettyHe has played 34 times this season - scoring seven goals - but the team have struggled and are languishing in 12...
- 1 Jude Bellingham hails Real Madrid’s desire to seal Champions League final berth
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Marc Skinner wants to stay at Manchester United after ‘historic’ FA Cup win
- 4 Danilo Orsi nets hat-trick as Crawley thrash MK Dons to reach play-off final
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 Man Utd fans stunned after seeing what Antony just got tattooed on his body
- 7 Mbappe bids farewell to everyone at PSG... except the most important person
- 8 Madelene Wright returns to football four years after she was sacked
- 9 Former Premier League Wag goes braless in daring backless dress
- 10 Man Utd eyeing Fulham CB Adarabioyo