Nottingham Forest put in a performance to be proud of as they lost to Manchester City at the City Ground.
Unsurprisingly, Pep Guardiola’s side dominated possession in the opening exchanges. It was, however, the home side who had the better chances as Forest grew into the game.
It was a tense atmosphere, and it felt as though the home crowd knew that one misplaced pass and they could be punished.
With the score level at half-time, Sean Dyche would have been the happiest as his side looked organised and were creating some chances of their own. Whereas Guardiola would probably have wanted to see more from his men in the second half.
City did take an early second-half lead whenTijjani Reijnders was played in byRayan Cherki after he’d made a run into the box, and he finished past the onrushingJohn Victor in the Forest goal. City's first shot on target and the first goal.
Forest soon in the 54th minute after a good bit of link-up play from Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus out wide, Jesus picked out Omari Hutchinson unmarked in the centre of the box, and he slotted home. The home crowd erupted to celebrate Hutchinson’s first goal in Forest red.
With seven minutes left on the clock, the winning goal went the way of Manchester City. In front of their fans, the ball fell to Cherki after a corner wasn’t cleared, and it was headed back to him on the edge of the box. He kept his effort down low and fired it through a crowded area and into the net past the line of Forest defenders. A good finish as it went through the legs of Gibbs-White.
Here are four takeaways from the game:
Since arriving fromIpswich Town,Omari Hutchinsonwas not favoured byNuno Espirito SantoorAnge Postecoglou,butSean Dyche has put his faith in the wide man. When Dyche first arrived, he was making an impact from the bench, so he had to be patient, but he has now nailed down a regular starting spot in recent weeks. When he has played, he has always looked lively.
It was a well-worked goal against City and a calm finish from Hutchinson.
Forest fans will be hoping that it is the first of many and that there is much more to come from the young player.
Before the game, news broke that Chris Wood had undergone an operation and will be out of action for a while longer, so Igor Jesus continues to play up front.
He still only has one Premier League goal to his name, but it is clear that his game is about more than just goals. He was regularly tussling with the City defenders- often coming out on top. So much so that [**Ruben Dias](https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2025/12/07/sunderland/1243903-regis-le-bris-acknowledges-the-relentlessquality-of-man-city.html)**could have been shown a second yellow for a foul on Jesus at the start of the second half.
Jesus held the ball up well on numerous occasions and was causing problems for City. He also played a key role in the goal with his work out wide and the assist.
Forest fans will be hoping he can add more goals to his game, but he does have the support of the fans.
Home form will be important
Forest will know that their home form will be important in their bid for survival. They were well organised in their shape against City and put in a good performance.
Recent away games have seen them play poorly at **Everton**- losing 3-0- and then lacking an offensive threat on Monday at **Fulham**in a 1-0 defeat.
Whereas, last time out at home, they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in a convincing win.
Most fans would probably not have expected anything from the game with City, but the performance will likely provide hope and show that if they can retain the support of the crowd and make it difficult for the opposition, then they have a chance.
The next game at home is against E verton, and the Reds will undoubtedly be looking to make the home advantage count after a disappointing time away at Everton earlier in the month.
A five-point gap to the bottom three
The table remains very close, and this is a key part of the season. WithWest Ham Unitedalso suffering a defeat this weekend, it means that Forest still have a five-point gap to the bottom three.
In the coming weeks, they face a trip to London to play West Ham, and that could be a big game in deciding the outcome of both sides come the end of the season.
Fans will feel relatively happy with what they are seeing, and the performance against City will not be the reason that they find themselves lower down the table. The task now is to continue that level of display in future weeks, and if they are able to do that, then there will be a belief among fans that the results will come.
This weekend's performance demonstrated that the team can put up a fight, play a physical game, and attack on the counter. There will be positives to take, and fans may not be too disappointed, but they know that their team also needs to find the consistency to reach those levels each week- home and away- regardless of the opposition. After defeats in their last two league games, they will, though, be hoping to bounce back on Tuesday and regain some momentum and points.