Manchester City climbed to the top of the Premier League table, at least temporarily, after securing a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s side continued their impressive run of form with an eighth consecutive league win, moving above title rivals Arsenal, who were due to play later in the day.
The victory was inspired by another standout performance from Rayan Cherki, who played a decisive role in both goals.
The opening half was tightly contested, with Forest creating the first real opportunity when a dangerous cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi flashed across goal, narrowly missing both Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Despite the intensity, clear chances were limited before the break.
READ ALSO:
City came out with renewed purpose after halftime and broke the deadlock through a moment of quality.
Cherki slipped a clever reverse pass into the path of Tijjani Reijnders, who calmly guided the ball past goalkeeper John Victor to give the visitors the lead.
Moments later, Cherki almost doubled City’s advantage, but Victor reacted quickly to deny the Frenchman from a tight angle.
Forest soon responded, striking on the counterattack as Jesus delivered a teasing cross that Omari Hutchinson converted at the far post to restore parity.
With the match finely poised, City continued to push forward. Their persistence paid off eight minutes from time when a loose ball from a corner fell kindly to Cherki inside the area.
The midfielder showed composure to fire a low half-volley into the bottom corner, sealing all three points for the champions.
The win underlined City’s growing momentum in the title race and capped off an impressive away performance, while Forest were left to rue missed opportunities despite a spirited display in front of their home supporters.
