Manchester City maintained their relentless push at the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory away at Nottingham Forest, settling the contest late on through the influence of Rayan Cherki.
The visitors looked set for another evening of patience and control at the City Ground, but were forced to dig deep before Cherki settled matters seven minutes from time, driving a fierce effort in from the edge of the area to swing the points City’s way. For a brief spell, the win lifted Manchester City to the summit, before Arsenal restored their advantage later in the day.
Cherki had already played a key role earlier in the match, slipping a precise pass through for Tijjani Reijnders to open the scoring. Forest refused to be overawed, however, matching City’s intensity and finding a deserved equaliser when Omari Hutchinson struck to bring the home crowd to life.
Forest continued to compete aggressively, pressing high and disrupting City’s rhythm, but the visitors’ quality eventually told. Cherki, who had gone months without a league goal, chose the perfect moment to rediscover his scoring touch, ensuring Pep Guardiola’s side extended their winning run to eight matches in all competitions.
The decisive goal sparked frustration on the Forest bench, with head coach Sean Dyche unhappy about incidents in the build-up and earlier decisions that he felt went against his side. Despite those grievances, Forest’s performance drew praise, particularly given the emotional pre-match tribute to club legend John Robertson, which seemed to galvanise the players.
City’s ability to absorb pressure and still find a way to win underlined why they remain such a formidable force in the title race. While Forest were left empty-handed despite a committed display, Guardiola’s team once again demonstrated their knack for grinding out results at difficult venues — a trait that could prove decisive as the season enters its most demanding phase.
