Man City fell to a 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday
Rio Ferdinand aimed a jibe at Erling Haaland after the full-time whistle on TV
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By YASEEN ZAMAN
Published: 10:54 EST, 8 March 2025 | Updated: 10:54 EST, 8 March 2025
Rio Ferdinand took a cheeky dig at Erling Haaland after Man City's 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.
The result was the champions' ninth in the loss column, as they now trail Forest by four points. A win at the City Ground would have seen Pep Guardiola's side overtake their opponents in the table and move up to third place.
The affair looked set to end in a goalless stalemate, until Callum Hudson-Odoi found the back of the net in the 83rd minute.
Forest's goal hero was joined by Ola Aina in a post-match interview where they were asked about their excitement over their Champions League aspirations.
Hudson-Odoi downplayed the topic and insisted Forest must stay humble, a comment which Ferdinand quickly pounced on to joke about Haaland.
'I think we've just got to stay humble. No matter what it is, we know the position we're in but there's still a lot of games to go until the end of the season,' Hudson-Odoi said after netting his fifth goal of the season.
Ferdinand made a joke about Haaland after Callum Hudson-Odoi said Forest must stay humble
Haaland famously told Mikel Arteta to 'stay humble' after a 2-2 draw with Arsenal last year
The Norwegian failed to score as Pep Guardiola's side fell to a 1-0 defeat by Forest on Saturday
'It's about staying humble, driving ourselves, and trying to get as many points on the board as possible.'
Ferdinand quickly asked: '"Stay humble", someone said that earlier in the season didn't they?'
Both Hudson-Odoi and Aina could not hold back their smiles, while Lynsey Hipgrave and Joleon Lescott were also amused by the jibe.
Ferdinand was referencing Haaland's antics after City and Arsenal's bad-tempered 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium in September.
Gabriel and Haaland both scored in that game before clashing late on following a last-minute equaliser from John Stones. Haaland threw the ball at Gabriel's head shortly after Stones had rescued a point for City in matchweek five.
City's Norwegian frontman then famously told Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to 'stay humble' as both sets of players and staff angrily faced off after the final whistle.
Since then, rivals have pounced whenever Haaland or City have experienced misfortune this season, and the comment 'stay humble' has become somewhat of an inside joke in the football world.
After Arsenal's 5-1 win over City at the start of February, the club even attempted to troll Haaland at full-time, using their stadium sound system to play rapper Kendrick Lamar's 2017 track 'HUMBLE'.
Ferdinand asked: '"Stay humble", someone said that earlier in the season didn't they?'
After Saturday's defeat, City have now lost a staggering nine games in the league this season
Haaland fluffed an opportunity to score against Forest in the eighth minute, when Chris Wood stumbled on the ball and teed up a chance for City's No 9.
With 10 games left of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, the 24-year-old looks unlikely to make it three Golden Boot awards in as many seasons in the English top-flight.
He trails Mohamed Salah in the top-scorer race and faces unrelenting competition for the second spot; the Egyptian King sits on 25 goals this season compared to Haaland's 20.
Meanwhile, Wood and Alexander Isak are breathing down Haaland's neck, having netted 18 and 19 goals respectively.