Manchester City suffered a fresh dent in their hopes to retain the Premier League title as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.
The reigning Champions were made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal, as the hosts took full advantage to score from their only shot on target.
City dominate possession
City dominated possession throughout the first half and should have gone ahead in the 34th minute but Rodri failed to keep his header on target after being picked up unmarked from Kevin de Bruyne’s clipped pass into the box.
Pep Guardiola’s side went ahead seven minutes later from Bernardo Silva’s stunning 20-yard strike.
The Portuguese midfielder latched on to Jack Grealish’s pass at the edge of the box to drive past a helpless Keylor Navas as City took the lead.
On the other side, the hosts failed to test Ederson even once as they were pinned and made to sit back thanks to City dominating possession in the middle of the park.
Wasted chances for Man City
Four minutes after the restart, Phil Foden should have doubled his side’s lead when Ilkay Gundogan found the Englishman with an incisive pass that opened up the Forest defense.
The 22-year-old lost his balance, allowing the home side to clear away the danger.
Erling Haaland should have put the game beyond Forest’s control, but the Norwegian striker was denied by the bar twice in a matter of seconds. First, he struck the post and then fired the rebound well over the ball to let the hosts off the hook.
Forest took full advantage of City’s wastefulness as striker Chris Wood restored parity in the 84th minute. Finishing off a move at the far post following Morgan Gibbs-White’s brilliant low cross from the right flank.
Guardiola would be disappointed with the result as his side failed to grab three points after league leaders Arsenal won earlier in the day against Aston Villa through two stoppage-time goals.
City currently are second courtesy of the result, 2 points behind the Gunners having played a game more.
Photo credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
