Nottingham Forest handed Manchester City a significant setback in their bid to qualify for the Champions League, as Callum Hudson-Odoi’s late winner sealed a 1-0 victory in a crucial top-four clash on Saturday.
City’s hopes of securing a spot in next season’s Champions League are now under serious threat following a disappointing campaign. Their position in the Premier League’s top four, usually a formality in Pep Guardiola’s reign, is no longer guaranteed after their ninth league defeat of the season.
With six titles in the past seven years, City have seldom had to worry about their place among England’s elite. Yet, as they left the City Ground after their first league loss to Forest since 1997, they were left anxiously eyeing their rivals’ movements.
Chelsea, in fifth place and just one point behind City, will overtake the champions if they defeat struggling Leicester on Sunday. Finishing fifth could still potentially secure City a Champions League spot, depending on how other English teams perform in European competitions this term.
However, for City to achieve even that modest goal, they will need to drastically improve following another lackluster performance in a turbulent season.
In contrast, third-placed Forest are four points clear of City, thanks to just their third win in the last eight league games. After battling relegation last season, the former European champions are now closing in on a place in the Champions League for the first time since the 1980-81 campaign.
A poignant moment came in the 3rd minute of the match when a big-screen message read ‘Get Well Soon Stuart’ in support of Forest’s former defender, Stuart Pearce, who had been rushed to the hospital after falling ill on a flight earlier in the week. Pearce’s iconic shirt number 3 was displayed in honor of the ex-player.
City Ground erupts
The game itself was a tale of two halves. The first was largely uneventful, with both teams struggling to find rhythm in the unusually warm weather by the River Trent, which added a soporific feel to what should have been a high-energy contest.
City had the first real chance when Josko Gvardiol found Phil Foden, whose shot was blocked by Nicolas Dominguez. Moments later, Bernardo Silva wasted a golden opportunity, shooting over the bar with Erling Haaland unmarked and waiting for a pass.
Forest had their own missed chances, with Morgan Gibbs-White’s effort sailing far wide of the goal, and a later shot from Anthony Elanga forcing City goalkeeper Ederson into a routine save.
The second half saw Guardiola make several attacking changes, sending on Omar Marmoush, Kevin De Bruyne, Rico Lewis, and Mateo Kovacic in an attempt to breathe life into City’s performance. However, despite their best efforts, City couldn’t find their rhythm, and Forest began to seize the momentum.
Ederson was forced into action when he turned Hudson-Odoi’s curling shot onto the post, and De Bruyne saw his free-kick saved by Forest keeper Matz Sels. But in the 83rd minute, it was Hudson-Odoi who stole the show, latching onto an inch-perfect pass from Gibbs-White. The winger cut inside before firing a powerful strike past Ederson’s weak attempt at a save, sending the City Ground into ecstasy.
With this result, Forest’s fairytale season continues, while City’s Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread.
AFP
