Nuno Espírito Santo’s Nottingham Forest took a huge step in their hunt for UEFA Champions League football for next season after Callum Hudson-Odoi’s late goal was enough to beat Manchester City at the City Ground.
In the 83rd minute the hosts took the lead after a brillant phase of play perfectly demonstrated the resilience, tenacity and attacking quality that has been on display from The Reds this season as Hudson-Odoi caught Ederson cold at his near post.
The Citizens were lacklustre and failed to fashion any clear-cut chances, being restricted to long range efforts as Forest’s backline stood firm to secure Matz Sels another clean sheet, taking him up to 12 for this Premier League season.
As it happened
With the two sides occupying third and fourth in the table respectively, expectations were high on the River Trent for an enthralling Saturday lunchtime visit of the champions. The City Ground was in fine voice ahead of kick off and would have enjoyed the tenacity of their side’s first half display, however the end product from both sides was in short supply in the first half.
The visitors had a couple of speculative efforts in the opening half. The first fell to Erling Haaland, who dragged a right footed effort wide from the edge of the area, while Nico clipped the edge of the post after a piledriver from 30 yards out. Any action inside the Forest penalty area was resiliently defended and a Phil Foden effort was well blocked.
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The Reds failed to really fashion many opportunities themselves, as their only shot came late in the half. A long ball upfield from Sels found Chris Wood, who looked to beat Ederson with a lob which was easily claimed by the Brazilian shot stopper in the end.
Both sides went into the break level. Realistically, both sides would have wanted a bit more from their sides in an attacking sense. There was an improvement from the hosts after the break.
Minutes after the restart, Neco Williams found Anthony Elanga down the left flank, and the Swede whipped a teasing ball to the back post for the arriving Nicolás Domínguez to volley goalwards. That effort was ultimately well claimed by Ederson. Then came a wonderful save to keep the sides level.
Forest counterattacked at pace and Hudson-Odoi eventually cut onto his right foot, looking to bend one around the City defence into the far corner. Ederson saw it late and reacted just in time to tip the ball onto the post. It was by far the best chance to this point of the tie.
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Pep Guardiola made many substitutions to find a goal at the City Ground, and one nearly did just that, as the ball ricocheted to substitute Kevin De Bruyne, who looked to whip and effort goalwards. It sailed just over the bar.
The game was into its final 10 minutes with it all to play for in Nottingham. Then, in the 83rd minute, the City Ground erupted.
It all started with Ola Aina making a crucial tackle on Omar Marmoush to deny a one-on-one opportunity for the visitors, before Morgan Gibbs-White pinged a wonderful cross-field ball to the former Chelsea winger Hudson-Odoi. He took the ball in his stride and drove down the right flank before ghosting into the area, making a yard on Joško Gvardiol and catching Ederson cold at his near post.
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With time running out as the game entered stoppage time, another former Chelsea player in Mateo Kovačić saw the ball spin up for a first time volley and decided to take a risk. The anguish overcame the surrounding supporters as the ball went agonisingly wide of Sels’ post with the Belgian beaten.
Forest held out for all three points as their incredible season continued, defeating the champions and subsequently going four points clear of today’s visitors on 51 points, and creating a five point gap to Chelsea in fifth. City remain on 47 points.
Up next for Forest is a trip to Ipswich Town, while City host Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton.
The lineups
NFO: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Domínguez, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
MCI: Ederson; Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Nico, Silva; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Haaland