Manchester City stunned by Forest's draw

Manchester City drops points against Nottingham Forest in a 1-1 draw at the City Ground, allowing Arsenal to return to the top of the Premier League

Manchester City has dropped to second place after missing the opportunity to return to the top of the Premier League with a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Chris Wood's late goal cancelled out Bernardo Silva's rocket from 20 yards, with the visitors missing chances in abundance to put the game to bed.

Kyle Walker said Manchester City's performance was "not acceptable," as they dropped two points and extended Forest's unbeaten home run to eight games.

Meanwhile, Forest will consider themselves lucky to have earned a point against the league leaders.

City rue missed opportunities

After being limited to 37% possession against Arsenal in midweek, City returned to some semblance of normality with a dominant 84% in the opening period on Saturday.

Phil Foden was a highlight for City, driving forward and making a nuisance of himself against a depleted Forest backline.

Silva sent a decent effort from range, whistling over the bar moments before receiving the ball on the edge of the area and firing a stunning left-footed shot into the roof of the net.

City, for all their dominance, were made to rue their missed chances and were reduced to last-ditch attempts as they scrambled for a late winner.

Kevin de Bruyne had seven attempts at goal but found his radar to be off target as City failed to capitalise on any momentum gathered from their victory over title rivals Arsenal on Wednesday.

Forest take their chance

Forest were patient and ultimately efficient enough to take their opportunity when it finally came—their only shot on target all afternoon.

Morgan Gibbs-White's fizzed cross was tapped in at the far post in the 84th minute for Wood's first Forest goal.

"We rode a bit of luck, but we earned a bit of luck with the goal we scored," said Steve Cooper, Nottingham Forest's manager.

Forest will have considered themselves lucky to go into halftime trailing by only one goal, having seen the majority of the first period played in their own half.

Forest were without centre-backs Scott McKenna and Willy Boly, who picked up injuries last time out, and Steve Cooper's side did not put together any meaningful periods of possession or chances.

Guardiola said, "It was a really good game" and "one of the best games we've played, but we dropped two points." He added, "You have to score." 

"If the strikers aren't getting the luck or hitting the target, us as a defensive unit need to hang on to the 1-0 victory and secure the three points," Walker said.

Despite a positive result, Forest is still in 19th place on the Premier League table, while City is two points behind Arsenal in the Premier League standings.

Match Highlights

Highlights from our draw against Nottingham Forest 🎥 pic.twitter.com/odWjyit2pS

— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 18, 2023