Rayan Cherki emerged as the late hero for Manchester City, breaking his Premier League goal drought to snatch a vital 2-1 victory away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday 27 December 2025. The win, City's sixth in a row, propelled Pep Guardiola's side to the summit of the Premier League table, at least temporarily ahead of Arsenal's fixture.
A Tense Battle at the City Ground
The match was preceded by a poignant tribute from the home side, who honoured the legendary Forest winger John Robertson. The Scot, a key figure in the club's back-to-back European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980 and described by Brian Clough as "the Picasso of our game," had passed away on Christmas Day.
On the pitch, Sean Dyche's Forest proved to be stubborn and well-organised opponents, effectively stifling City's attacking threat for the entirety of a goalless first half. The hosts even had the better early chance when a Callum Hudson-Odoi cross evaded both Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White in the seventh minute.
City Break the Deadlock After the Break
The game transformed shortly after the restart. Within three minutes, Manchester City took the lead with their first shot on target. A clever move saw Rayan Cherki slip a pass through to Tijjani Reijnders, who fired a low, first-time finish under Forest goalkeeper John Victor to make it 1-0.
City pressed for a second, and John Victor was forced into an outstanding save to deny Cherki, tipping the Frenchman's effort onto the post. However, Forest demonstrated their resilience by hitting back in the 54th minute. Gibbs-White launched a swift counter-attack, which culminated in Igor Jesus pulling the ball back for Omari Hutchinson to drill home emphatically from 12 yards.
Cherki's Decisive Moment
With the match seemingly heading for a draw, the decisive moment arrived in the 83rd minute. A City corner was only partially cleared, falling to Cherki on the edge of the area. The France international, who had not scored in the league since the opening day of the season, drilled a low shot through a crowd of players that John Victor was unable to keep out.
Forest had come close to taking the lead themselves earlier, with Neco Williams seeing a shot saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma before Nicola Savona blazed the rebound over. City also had a great chance through Phil Foden, who was denied by a crucial leg save from John Victor. But it was Cherki who had the final say, securing a hard-fought three points in a manner that will worry their title rivals.
The result leaves Nottingham Forest feeling hard done by after a performance that matched the champions for large periods, only to be undone in the final ten minutes. For Manchester City, the ability to grind out such victories continues to be a hallmark of their relentless title pursuit.
