What the papers say: Nottingham Forest v Manchester City

Despite one of Nottingham Forest’s better performances of the season, Manchester City still kept their title challenge on course with a 2-0 win at the City Ground. Here’s what the national newspapers had to say

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The Guardian

Manchester City knew they were coming into a storm but they are the masters of navigating hostile environments.

Pep Guardiola’s side were nowhere near their best but came up with moments of quality when it mattered to silence Nottingham Forest and keep their title charge on track. Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland had Kevin De Bruyne to thank for two fantastic assists as City had to bide their time to defeat a disciplined Forest fighting for Premier League survival.

Arsenal’s victory earlier in the day had ramped up the pressure but they held their nerve. The home team worked incredibly hard in their attempts to halt City and could have enjoyed a better day had it not been for poor finishing.

The Times

As Erling Haaland lapped up the praise of the 2,893 Manchester City fans behind the goal, Noel Gallagher chief among them, his father, Alfie, sat about 70 yards behind him in the directors’ box wearing a smile.

Alfie was Forest’s guest of honour in recognition of his four years here as a player. If his son’s match-clinching goal ends up being a contributing factor in Forest’s relegation, he may not be greeted with such warmth on his next visit.

When Pep Guardiola beckoned Haaland over from his brief warm-up on the hour mark of this encounter, Manchester City were teetering.

They had failed to match the ruthlessness of Arsenal, who had blown Tottenham Hotspur away in the North London derby earlier in the afternoon. Before Haaland’s introduction City held just a one-goal lead over Forest and they were lucky to be ahead after Chris Wood missed the first of two sitters.

The Telegraph

Welcome back Erling Haaland, and these are the moments that prove pivotal in both the title race and relegation battle.

With one finish of brutal simplicity, Haaland made an immediate impact on his return to Manchester City’s team to underline how the predatory instincts of a forward can prove the difference in tight contests.

After missing the last two matches with an injury, Haaland only needed one chance to move back into pole position for the Golden Boot and ensure City maintain the pressure on leaders Arsenal.

It was not a comfortable afternoon for the champions. They suffered an injury scare with goalkeeper Ederson departing the stadium with his arm in a sling, after being taken off at half-time with a shoulder injury.

The Independent

On such days, Manchester City may be the unconvincing unstoppables. This was scarcely the most glorious demonstration of Pep Guardiola’s philosophy but churn or grind out four more wins and they will have a fourth consecutive Premier League title, regardless of what Arsenal do.

Weakened by injury and illness, put under pressure by Nottingham Forest, below par with their passing, City still prevailed. It may have been the result of champions. It is harder to claim it was the performance of them. But City had Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland, one the best player on the pitch, the other a scoring substitute, and a little fortune.

And if Forest have a latest set of grievances, it should be with themselves. Condemned to defeat by their failings in both boxes, by their latest piece of disastrous defending at a set-piece and by an inability to take presentable chances, they could reflect on what might have been.

The Mail

We probably would have expected a result like this but we would not have predicted it to come about in quite this way.

Nottingham Forest were full of energy and menace and ambition, while Manchester City were probably as sluggish and out of sorts as we have seen them for some time.

City won, though, and did so with something to spare in the end. And why? Because Forest centre forward Chris Wood made the art of scoring goals look desperately difficult while Erling Haaland arrived as a substitute to make it look so devastatingly easy.

There was a little more to it than that. There usually is. But Wood’s ham-fisted failure to convert two straightforward chances with the score at 1-0 cost Forest dearly.

With City lacking their usual control of a game and Forest sensing that, you would not have bet against the home team had they entered the final third of the game on level terms. But they could not quite make it happen.

The Mirror

Manchester City responded to Arsenal’s North London Derby win with a victory of their own at the City Ground, but Nottingham Forest made them work hard for it.

After Mikel Arteta’s Gunners resisted a second-half comeback from neighbours Tottenham, it was the turn of the reigning Premier League champions. Both teams had big chances in the first half, but only City defender Josko Gvardiol was able to put one of them away.

Despite their lowly league position, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest were able to cause problems for their opponents. It was hard for City to relax, with left wing-back Ola Aina causing problems on more than one occasion.

At this stage of the season, a win of any flavour will do for the title contenders, and substitute Erling Haaland ensured they’d end the day with just that. Victory-by-any-means was especially important on a day which brought a fresh injury worry for Ederson after Phil Foden was already missing through illness.

The Sun

There was no pointing the finger at VAR, the Premier League or anyone else.

Due to some diabolical finishing, Forest have only themselves to blame for delivering a win which could have caused an earthquake at the top of the Premier League while pushing Luton and Burnley ever closer to the drop.

Ultimately, Forest wasted four excellent chances against a City team who were not anywhere near their best but were able to keep Arsenal within their sights.

This was courtesy of a goal in each half from defender Josko Gvardiol and the fit-again Erling Haaland, who grabbed his 32nd of the season, nine minutes after arriving as a substitute.

City’s fans, mocking Liverpool’s spectacular collapse, merrily sang ‘Jurgen’s cracking up’ but luckily for them, Pep Guardiola’s team is not.

Once again, Guardiola’s team overcame a psychological barrier of having seen Arsenal play before them and win.

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