Scarily, they are not supposed to be quite so good at this point. Manchester City are used to easing themselves into seasons, menacingly catching up later on. Not this year.
2023/2024 Premier League
2-0
Match Report
Probably the biggest compliment to pay is that it feels like March, not September. Ruthlessly artistic and Nottingham Forest could only watch in admiration until this threatened to become a contest with Rodri’s red card. Even then, City held firm with relative comfort.
‘Come on Forest, work hard,’ one exasperated and fairly well-lubricated away supporter in the posh seats shouted as they went two down. Graft, or lack of it, was not Steve Cooper’s issue.
How can you deal with an opposition whose opening goal, finished by Phil Foden cutting across a clever Kyle Walker pullback, constituted 46 passes, the most recorded in a Premier League game for 17 years? You cannot.
It was the purest goal City have scored so far in this latest title defence, a sign of their mastery in a new system that is engineering the very best from Foden and relies more on explosive running than ever before under Guardiola.
And this is now six victories from six for the Treble winners. Only the third time in the club’s history that they have managed that – and first since Guardiola’s debut campaign in England, when they eventually finished way behind eventual champions Chelsea.
Win at Wolves next week and this will be City’s best ever start which, for a team that completed football three months ago and all the potential complacency that might bring, is something of an achievement.
There have been a few occasions already where City have had to battle for their wins, the latest taking them five points clear before Liverpool and the North London clubs play on Sunday. Against all odds, on a day that at one point looked likely to end in a real shellacking, City were digging in for a spell.
That was largely the fault of Rodri, a stupid red card for violent conduct seconds after the restart, where in a dispute with Morgan Gibbs-White, placed both hands around the midfielder’s throat. Gibbs-White hit the deck somewhat theatrically yet Rodri could have no complaints. Guardiola’s curt remark to him and then death stare down the tunnel told all of what the manager felt.
It did not cost them here – despite Taiwo Awoniyi dinking over the bar when through or debutant Nicolas Dominguez sweeping wide – but could yet to do in the weeks to come.
Crucially, Guardiola will be without Rodri at Arsenal in a fortnight. Not a place you want to go without the holding midfielder who binds everything together so expertly. Kalvin Phillips entered for his most significant appearance since joining over a year ago, but there are riddles to fix for in that area of the pitch given the current injury list.
Forest rattled City for 15 minutes or so. Ederson went berserk at Awoniyi after his missed chance, the pair butting heads with the goalkeeper accusing the striker of diving for a penalty. Both booked for their troubles. And the atmosphere inside this place went up a couple of notches, a nervous energy – no doubt mindful of what Forest, helped by a man advantage, can do in transitions, as was evident over the other side of the city at Old Trafford last month.
Cooper threw them all on: Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga, Chris Wood, Divock Origi. Forest felt there was something here for them, Manuel Akanji hurling himself to thwart a dangerous Gibbs-White effort. The away resurgence fizzled out, safe for a strong Ederson save in stoppage time. Territory without chances, the positional play of Josko Gvardiol particularly strong.
There really ought not have been any hope whatsoever by that point. City had effectively secured the consecutive three points within 14 minutes. Foden’s came after seven, in front of Gareth Southgate in yet another case study of his prowess centrally, while Erling Haaland headed in soon after. Haaland, now with eight for the season, was too powerful for Matt Turner, heading a Matheus Nunes cross back where it came from when ghosting between markers.
It felt then that the spate of missed chances for the Norwegian was over, although he skied over from 10 yards later as the hosts broke at pace. That would have truly sealed the game.
Despite that being the tenth big chance missed in his last three matches, including the midweek stroll against Red Star Belgrade, Haaland has double the number of league goals than anyone else. One would do here, ending the day ringleader for a hostile crowd.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
4' Alvarez’s long range free kick inches wide!
8' GOAL! Man City 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Foden)
15' GOAL! Man City 2-0 Nottingham Forest (Haaland)
21' Yellow Card! Nuno Tavares booked
33' CLOSE! Alvarez misses a golden chance!
46' Red Card! Rodri sent off
58' Yellow Card! Ederson booked
78' CLOSE! Haaland misses a golden chance!
86' Grealish replace Foden
Line-ups
Man City XI: Walker, Ederson, Ruben Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Haaland, Foden, Julián Álvarez, Matheus Nunes, Jérémy Doku, Josko Gvardiol
Subs: Carson, Stefan Ortega, Ake, Grealish, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gómez, Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis
Nottingham Forest XI: Aurier, Boly, Aina, Taiwo Awoniyi, Niakhate, Mangala, Sangare, Matt Turner, Gibbs-White, Dominguez, Nuno Tavares
Subs: Kouyate, Wood, Odysseas Vlachodimos, Origi, Gonzalo Montiel, Joe Worrall, Hudson-Odoi, Ryan Yates, Anthony Elanga