- Man City finally returned to winning ways after seven games without
- City raced into 3-0 lead before the hour mark against Nottingham Forest
- Veteran skipper Kevin De Bruyne influential at the Etihad Stadium
Manchester City ended their winless run at the eighth attempt as they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
The Cityzens entered the bout having endured their seventh game without a win at the weekend, but there was a sense of normality returning at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
Kevin De Bruyne has been used sparingly by Pep Guardiola since the Belgian international returned from a groin injury, but he was all over City's impressive first-half showing. After teeing up Bernardo Silva's opener with a header across Matz Sels' goal, De Bruyne added a second before the break with an emphatic finish from inside the Forest box.
The visitors perhaps showed too much respect to a City side laden with vulnerabilities, but they did come close on a couple of occasions in the opening period. Most notably, Morgan Gibbs-White was expertly denied an equaliser by Stefan Ortega.
There may have been some trepidation when Jeremy Doku added a third for the hosts before the hour mark given what happened last week against Feyenoord, but the Etihad faithful had little to fear on this occasion.
Once again, there were imperfections as Forest had their moments in the second half, but City seemed to enter the state we've grown familiar with for the bulk of Guardiola's reign. Doku provided a desperately needed spark down the left, while De Bruyne's 75-minute display was laden with the quality we all know he can still supply.
Liverpool's draw at St. James' Park means their deficit on the league leaders is nine points...
Man City player ratings (4-1-4-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Stefan Ortega | 8.0/10 |
RB: Manuel Akanji | 7.0/10 |
CB: Ruben Dias | 7.2/10 |
CB: Nathan Ake | 7.1/10 |
LB: Josko Gvardiol | 7.1/10 |
DM: Ilkay Gundogan | 7.8/10 |
RM: Bernardo Silva | 8.5/10 |
AM: Kevin De Bruyne | 8.8/10 |
AM: Jack Grealish | 7.7/10 |
LM: Jeremy Doku | 8.8/10 |
ST: Erling Haaland | 7.9/10 |
SUB: Kyle Walker (46' for Akanji) | 6.7/10 |
SUB: Rico Lewis (74' for De Bruyne) | 6.0/10 |
SUB: James McAtee (87' for Ake) | N/A |
SUB: Savinho (90' for Doku) | N/A |
SUB: Matheus Nunes (90' for Grealish) | N/A |
Subs not used: Ederson (GK), Scott Carson (GK), Jacob Wright, Nico O'Reilly
Nottingham Forest player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Matz Sels | 6.3/10 |
RB: Ola Aina | 6.0/10 |
CB: Nikola Milenkovic | 5.0/10 |
CB: Murillo | 6.1/10 |
LB: Alex Moreno | 6.7/10 |
DM: Nicolas Dominguez | 5.7/10 |
DM: Ryan Yates | 5.7/10 |
RM: Anthony Elanga | 6.8/10 |
AM: Morgan Gibbs-White | 6.9/10 |
LM: Jota Silva | 6.3/10 |
ST: Chris Wood | 5.8/10 |
SUB: Morato (46' for Yates) | 6.4/10 |
SUB: Taiwo Awoniyi (62' for Wood) | 5.9/10 |
SUB: Elliot Anderson (63' for Gibbs-White) | 6.7/10 |
SUB: Eric da Silva Moreira (63' for Aina) | 6.2/10 |
SUB: Ramon Sosa (72' for Jota) | 5.9/10 |
Subs not used: Carlos Miguel (GK), Neco Williams, Callum Hudson-Odoi, James Ward-Prowse
