Manchester City 0 – 1 Nottingham Forest
After holding off Liverpool in January and Arsenal in February, Nottingham Forest has now stunned Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, claiming all three points.
City had a golden opportunity to move up to third in the table by defeating Nottingham, but instead, they put on a lackluster display and suffered a setback in their title race.
The defending four-time Premier League champions fell 1-0 at the City Ground on Saturday. Callum Hudson-Odoi sealed the win with a decisive second-half goal.
City’s Inconsistency Continues
Following a poor run in November and December, City seemed to be bouncing back at the start of the year. However, since February, their form has been inconsistent, switching between wins and losses.
This was City’s ninth defeat of the season. With 28 matches played, they sit fourth in the table with 47 points, while Nottingham Forest, now in third place, has four more points from the same number of games.
Hudson-Odoi Stuns the Champions
The match was largely chaotic, with both teams struggling to create meaningful chances. Nottingham Forest showed slight improvement in the second half, but they still weren’t able to properly test City’s goalkeeper Ederson.
That changed in the 67th minute, when Hudson-Odoi forced a difficult save from Ederson. His shot was blocked, hitting the post before bouncing away.
Sensing the urgency, Guardiola made two substitutions a minute later, bringing on Kevin De Bruyne and Omar Marmoush for Phil Foden and Savinho. City’s attack improved slightly, but they still failed to create any significant scoring opportunities.
Then, in the 83rd minute, the moment of magic arrived. Hudson-Odoi picked up the ball on the right, drove into the box, and fired a clinical diagonal shot past Ederson, leaving City stunned.
City in Danger of Dropping Further
This defeat puts Guardiola’s team at risk of slipping further down the table. If Chelsea wins against Leicester City on Sunday, they will overtake City and claim fourth place.
