8 March 2025
Nott’m Forest 1 Man City 0
As Nottingham Forest welcomed Man City to the City Ground, nobody could have predicted at the start of the season that this would prove to be a pivotal fixture in the race for Champions League football. That said, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side had got themselves into a position in the table that turned this match into a crucial six-pointer.
To think that the hosts still had more European Cups to their name than the visitors, given the domination of Pep Guardiola’s side in his reign, is mind-bending. Man City’s sole focus for the remainder of the season now is ensuring they are in the competition next season, something that Forest were starting to believe they could be part of also.
It was an entertaining start to the game with both teams trying to flex their attacking muscles. Gonzalez rifled a shot at goal from outside of the box, clipping the outside of the post as it went wide. Despite his acrobatic attempts to get there, had it been just a few inches the other way, there was no danger Sels was keeping the effort out.
The visitors were livid that the referee did not take further action when Foden was left in a heap on the floor moments later. VAR reviewed the incident and decided it was a natural kicking action from the Forest player. The replay showed that as he beat the Man City man to it, his follow through caught his opponent halfway up his shin.
As the half continued, the tempo of both sides seemed to be cancelling each other out and clear-cut chances were becoming as rare as any hope of seeing a conclusion to those infamous 115 charges the defending champions were facing in their court case with the Premier League. Doku picked the ball up and cut inside, before getting a shot away but it was a routine save for Sels in the Forest goal.
Forest fans were feeling like this was somewhat of a Groundhog Day moment, as the game panned out much like their recent encounter with Arsenal at the City Ground. That says a lot for how far they have come under Nuno Espirito Santo. They have gone from being involved in relegation battles to looking comfortable going toe-to-toe with the Premier League’s top sides.
As the two teams headed in at the interval all square, it was tough to call a winner in this game. When the margins are so fine, this is where the managers can be the difference. Tactics, team-talks and substitutions could now hold the key if either side were to find a goal to take all three points in this pivotal match for those top four places.
After the interval, Williams threaded a pass out wide to Elanga. He sent a looping cross in towards the back post, where Dominguez met it on the volley. His effort was straight at Ederson, but it went straight through the keeper’s hands and struck him in the chest before he regathered it. Forest’s first shot on target got the City Ground rocking once again.
The City keeper was soon to make amends though. As Forest probed the visitors’ defence, Hudson-Odoi cut inside before drilling a shot through a sea of players towards the far corner. Ederson got down brilliantly to get a hand to it, turning it onto the post in the process. So close to breaking the deadlock, the hosts were starting to believe they could win this game.
Guardiola’s side were struggling to make an impression in the final third of the pitch in the second-half. It took until the 70th minute before they could do just that. Silva and Kovacic were involved before the ball broke to De Bruyne. He looked to bend a left-footed shot into the top corner but it sailed narrowly over the target. A warning to Forest that they could not drop their concentration levels for a moment.
As the sun beat down on the City Ground, the match headed into the final ten minutes. A goal for either side at this late stage would surely take all three points. Hudson-Odoi picked the ball up out wide and cut inside towards goal. Teammates were screaming for the ball in the middle but the winger passed it beyond Ederson at the near post.
The stadium erupted as the ball ended up in the back of the net, with many fans wondering how he had scored from such a tight angle. If they had the benefit of seeing the replay, there was only one person to thank for his part in the goal, Man City’s Brazilian keeper. It was a dreadful attempt of a save at his near post, taking all the shine off the great save he had made earlier in the game.
Man City needed to throw caution to the wind to get anything from this match. Forest were getting everyone behind the ball as they tried to batten down the hatches. As a corner was half-cleared, the ball broke to Kovacic on the edge of the box. His volley seemed to have Sels beaten but missed the far post by the narrowest of margins.
Nottingham Forest held on for victory, taking a massive step towards achieving Champions League football in the process. It had been a tight game but on the balance of play, the hosts had probably just edged it. Man City really have a challenge on their hands to ensure that they manage to qualify for Europe’s elite competition next season with it all so tight in the Premier League table.
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