Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki secured a 2-1 victory for Manchester City in a closely contested Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Cherki played a key role in both goals for Pep Guardiola’s side, first setting up Reijnders’ opener early in the second half before netting a decisive goal himself late in the game. The first half offered little action, with neither team registering a single shot on target. For Manchester City, it was their first Premier League half without a shot on target in a year, since December 2024 against Liverpool. Drama unfolded just 18 seconds into the second half when Rúben Dias, already booked, fouled Igor Jesus on the edge of the box but escaped a second yellow card. Moments later, City struck with their first shot on target. Reijnders finished neatly under goalkeeper John Victor after a precise pass from Cherki, marking his fourth goal of the season and second consecutive match with a goal. Cherki’s assist took him to seven Premier League assists, the most of any player so far this season. Forest quickly responded through Omari Hutchinson, who scored his first goal for the club after joining from Ipswich Town. Hutchinson met a cross from Jesus and calmly side-footed past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Remarkably, all four of Hutchinson’s Premier League goals have come in home games against ‘big six’ sides. The winner came from Cherki with seven minutes remaining. A well-executed corner saw Josko Gvardiol head the ball into Cherki’s path, and the Frenchman unleashed a powerful shot into the bottom corner. Cherki’s goal highlighted his growing influence since joining from Lyon, taking him to eight Premier League goal involvements since November (1 goal, 7 assists) and 50 career goal contributions across Europe’s top five leagues (16 goals, 34 assists). The win temporarily lifts Manchester City above Arsenal in the Premier League table, though the Gunners could reclaim the top spot depending on their result against Brighton. For Nottingham Forest, the defeat extends Sean Dyche’s winless record against Guardiola to 17 matches, matching Steve Bruce’s record against Alex Ferguson for the most games without a victory against a single manager in Premier League history. Opta stats from the match highlight City’s dominance in goal contributions and tactical execution, providing a full breakdown of player performances, passing networks, expected goals, and more for in-depth analysis.
