Nottingham Forest suffered a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City as poor defending and missed chances proved costly at the Etihad Stadium.
The Reds went into the game buoyed by last weekend’s victory over Ipswich Town and looking to take advantage of a dismal run of form for their opponents. But their evening got off to the worst possible start in the north west.
It was too easy for City as Bernardo Silva gave his team the lead with eight minutes gone when he converted from close-range. And the hosts could have been out of sight before the break were it not for some poor finishing.
Forest had a few big chances of their own, with Morgan Gibbs-White forcing a save from one of them. But no sooner had Chris Wood spurned a golden opportunity when through one-on-one, that City quickly went down the other end and made it 2-0 through Kevin De Bruyne in the 31st minute.
A change in formation saw the visitors start the second half well. However, they were unable to capitalise on some moments of promise and Jeremy Doku killed the game off just before the hour with City’s third.
Anthony Elanga and Elliot Anderson both had chances in the closing stages but Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were unable to force a breakthrough.
Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Etihad Stadium...
Matz Sels: Had made a solid save from Erling Haaland in the first few minutes but it got tougher from there on. Not a great deal he could do about City’s goals as needed more help from his teammates. Rating: 5.5/10
Ola Aina: Both full-backs had a testing time of it in the opening 45 minutes. A sloppy start from the defensive unit as a whole but did settle down a bit as the game went on. Rating: 6/10
Nikola Milenkovic: Some of the Reds’ defending will have frustrated Nuno - not least because it has been such a strong point this season. City were given too much respect early on. Rating: 5.5/10
Murillo: Difficult night defensively for Forest as a whole but the Brazilian did have some positive moments with the ball. Wasn’t too far away from another goal with a trademark effort. Took pride in being handed the armband when Gibbs-White departed. Rating: 5.5/10
Alex Moreno: Back in the side but unable to prevent some poor defending from the Reds - even if it was against quality opposition. Didn’t use the ball as well as he normally does when getting forward. Rating: 5/10
Ryan Yates: Forest argued he was fouled by Jeremy Doku in the build-up to City’s second. Didn’t detract from the first half being tough all round for the midfield, though. Rating: 5.5/10
Nicolas Dominguez: A difficult evening for the Argentine. Spent long spells chasing shadows, especially before the break. Yellow card in the first half didn’t help his cause. Rating: 5/10
Jota Silva: Had some dangerous moments with the ball, including creating chances for Gibbs-White and Elanga in the first half. Needed to be sharper with defensive duties, though. Rating: 6/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Guilty of not tracking his man for the opener amid sloppy play by the visitors. Almost managed to make amends with an effort at the other end of the pitch which drew a decent save. Rating: 5.5/10
Anthony Elanga: Did cause City a few problems with some positive runs and had a couple of decent chances. Went particularly close with one in the second half - looks like he could do with a confidence boost from a goal, too. Rating: 6/10
Chris Wood: Could have been a completely different game if he had scored when clean through at 1-0. An uncharacteristic miss, particularly with the form he has been in this season. Rating: 5.5/10
SUBSTITUTES
Morato (for Yates, 46mins): Maintaining his record of not conceding in a Forest shirt was always going to be tough when he came on at the break. Nevertheless, formation change made a difference. Rating: 6.5/10
Taiwo Awoniyi (for Wood, 63mins): More valuable minutes for the striker as he tries to rediscover his sharpness. Good play led to a chance for Elanga. Rating: 6/10
Elliot Anderson (for Gibbs-White, 63mins): Positive when he came on and tried to make a difference. Almost got on the scoresheet late on. Rating: 6.5/10
Eric da Silva Moreira (for Aina, 63mins): Good experience for the youngster. Quite the game to come on in for only his second Premier League appearance in the Garibaldi. Rating: 6/10
Ramon Sosa (for Jota, 72mins): Game was over with by the time he came on. Not a great deal he could do to make an impact. Rating: 6/10
Subs not used: Miguel, Williams, Ward-Prowse, Hudson-Odoi.
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