Manchester City reclaimed the Premier League summit with a contentious 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Rayan Cherki's 83rd-minute strike sparked furious protests from the home side, who felt a foul should have been awarded in the build-up.
City struggled to break down a resilient Forest defence in the first half, with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden kept quiet. The deadlock was broken early in the second half when Tijjani Reijnders fired home from Cherki's through ball. Forest equalised through Omari Hutchinson, who finished from Igor Jesus' cross.
The decisive moment came when Josko Gvardiol headed down a corner for Cherki to smash past goalkeeper John Victor. Forest players surrounded referee Rob Jones, claiming Morgan Gibbs-White had been fouled by Nico O'Reilly and that Murillo's shirt was ripped in a tussle with Haaland. VAR confirmed the goal, leaving City with all three points.
Pep Guardiola's delight was evident at full-time as the pressure now shifts to Arsenal, who face Brighton knowing a win would take them back top. Alan Shearer described it as 'a huge three points' for City, adding: 'All the pressure goes back on Arsenal now.'
Cherki, a £30million summer signing from Lyon, dedicated his goal to Haaland, adopting the Norwegian's celebration. 'In the week I spoke to Erling and he said: When you score you do this celebration,' Cherki told TNT Sports. 'It is a big win because the championship is so long and so hard.'
