Nottingham Forest vs Man City LIVE!

Erling Haaland came off the bench to score as Man City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 to remain in control of the Premier League title race. Arsenal’s win over Tottenham earlier in the day had piled the pressure back on the Pep Guardiola’s side, who knew even a draw would leave the Gunners in pole position heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

There was to be no slip-up though, as Josko Gvardiol headed the visitors in front in the first-half, before Haaland scored with 20 minutes remaining to ease any nerves in the away end at the City Ground.

The champions sit just a point behind Arsenal and with a game in hand, away to Tottenham in the final week of the season. Four more wins and it will be a fourth title on the bounce for City.

Nottingham Forest vs Man City updates

• GOAL! Haaland doubles advantage

• GOAL! Gvardiol header gives Man City lead

• Nottingham Forest team news: Boly fit to start

• Man City team news: Haaland on the bench

FT: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:27 , Matt Verri

Job done for City!

Yet another win, goals from Gvardiol and Haaland get the job done.

One point behind Arsenal with a game in hand - they are in pole position.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:25 , Matt Verri

90+3 mins: De Bruyne named man of the match.

Another two assists for the Belgian - his return from injury really has been massive for City.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:22 , Matt Verri

90 mins: Five minutes added on.

City staying in control of the title race, unless Forest score twice (which they won’t).

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:20 , Matt Verri

89 mins: Two final City changes.

Bobb and Nunes on for the very closing stages. De Bruyne and Alvarez make way.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:19 , Matt Verri

87 mins: Not sure if it was an overhit cross or a very ambitious shot, but either way Hudson-Odoi has Ortega scrambling.

City goalkeeper has to swiftly retreat towards his far corner and just about claws the ball away to safety.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:17 , Matt Verri

85 mins: Forest have moved to a back four for the final few minutes. Left it fairly late...

Hudson-Odoi picks out Gibbs-White, he flicks it wide to Yates. Montiel is on the overlap, but he can’t pick out Reyna in the middle.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:13 , Matt Verri

81 mins: Not a huge amount of pace in the match now - Forest look like they know their race is won.

Could have all been so different, had Wood been in a more clinical mood.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:09 , Matt Verri

77 mins: City happy to sit off and let Forest have the ball now. Looking fairly comfortable in ticking away the seconds.

Rodri hacks down Gibbs-White, chance for the Forest defenders to come up again.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City

18:05 , Matt Verri

73 mins: Murillo has gone down again - going to have to come off. It’s going to be a triple change.

Yates, Reyna and Omobamidele on, as Elanga, Murillo and Danilo are replaced.

GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-2 Man City | Erling Haaland 71'

18:02 , Matt Verri

GAME OVER.

De Bruyne with the assist, Haaland with the goal. As it ever was.

Drives into the box, onto his right foot and just rolls a finish into the far corner.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

18:00 , Matt Verri

68 mins: City starting to move the ball a bit more like their best, threatening again. De Bruyne’s effort from range is turned behind for a corner by Sels.

More worrying for Forest will be Murillo going down. Looks to be a groin issue.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:58 , Matt Verri

66 mins: Brilliant from Murillo, lunges in and stops De Bruyne charging clean through on goal.

At the other end, Elanga flashes a great ball across the six-yard box. Nobody there in a Forest shirt.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:54 , Matt Verri

63 mins: First dangerous moment for City since half-time.

De Bruyne slides a pass through to Alvarez, he’s forced onto his left foot and it’s a wild effort in the end.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:52 , Matt Verri

61 mins: Aina in behind, ball into the box is hacked away and out of play. City are really struggling.

Haaland is getting ready to come on - Guardiola has seen enough. Grealish the man to be replaced, as the City forward strolls on.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:50 , Matt Verri

58 mins: City have not had a shot since the break - they’ve barely had an attack.

If bringing Kovacic on was supposed to give them more control, it hasn’t worked. Forest on top.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:46 , Matt Verri

54 mins: Aina runs straight at Walker... Aina runs straight past Walker! Man City full-back can’t stay with him.

His Forest team-mates can’t keep up either, and it’s a pretty poor pass in the end.

Electric break though.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:43 , Matt Verri

51 mins: Elanga looks to be clean through, but takes too long and Ake gets back to poke the ball away.

Offside flag then goes up, wouldn’t have counted anyway.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:42 , Matt Verri

50 mins: It’s been a really impressive performance from Forest, aside from the small matter of actually scoring.

They break well again, Montiel lays the ball back for Gibbs-White and he whips an effort wide from distance.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:39 , Matt Verri

47 mins: ANOTHER chance for Wood!

Elanga skips away from Walker, gets to the byline and picks out Wood. Looks certain to sweep it into the far corner, but it’s a bit of a scuff again and Gvardiol blocks.

Back underway!

17:37 , Matt Verri

Up and running again.

Ortega and Kovacic are on for Man City, replacing Ederson and Doku.

Forest still in it

17:30 , Matt Verri

Forest have had eight shots in the match, one more than City.

A couple of big chances - none bigger than this one. Wood HAD to score.

Too easy for City

17:24 , Matt Verri

City a long way from their best, but they have the lead.

Forest were down to ten at the time, with Williams off the pitch. De Bruyne corner, Gvardiol header... 1-0.

HT: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:21 , Matt Verri

There is the half-time whistle.

Man City lead through that Gvardiol header, but Forest have been right in this match.

Wood and Murillo have had really good opportunities to equalise.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:18 , Matt Verri

45+2 mins: Aina again with the supporting run on the right wing, Akanji can only poke the ball away for a corner.

Onto the roof of the net! Wow.

Ederson came for it, didn’t get there and it dropped at his feet. Murillo flicked a leg at it, ball looped up and just over the bar. Another big, big chance.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:17 , Matt Verri

45+1 mins: Four minutes added on.

City slowing things right down, knocking the ball around without really going anywhere. They know how to control a situation.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:15 , Matt Verri

44 mins: Scrappy end to this half, which is suiting Forest. City will be happy enough to just get to half-time.

While it’s only 1-0, Forest still very much in this.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:12 , Matt Verri

41 mins: It’s a good spell for Forest, but that final bit is missing.

Again they break nicely, Gibbs-White finding Hudson-Odoi. He cuts onto his right foot, and it’s a wild hack at the ball. Claims he was fouled as he took the shot - he was not.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:09 , Matt Verri

38 mins: HUGE CHANCE!

Forest should be level. Aina whips a cross to the back post, Montiel squares it and Wood swings at thin air. Six-yards out, completely free.

Decent contact and it was a goal.

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City

17:06 , Matt Verri

35 mins: All feels very different now. City pushing for a second, Forest finding it harder to get up the pitch.

Forest were down to ten for that corner and now they make the change - Montiel on for Williams.

GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Man City | Josko Gvardiol 32'

17:03 , Matt Verri

CITY IN FRONT!

So simple. De Bruyne clips the corner to the near post, Gvardiol makes the run and powers a header in.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

17:01 , Matt Verri

30 mins: Good defending from Williams, blocks Grealish’s low ball into the middle. Corner City.

He’s stayed down though, looks to have twisted something as he lunged in.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:59 , Matt Verri

28 mins: Sharp Forest break, slowed down a bit as Aina stumbles on the ball.

Pinged wide to Williams, he lays it off to Gibbs-White. Clipped to the back post, Wood gets up well but can’t keep his header down.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:58 , Matt Verri

27 mins: Boly follows Grealish 40 yards up the pitch, before eventually deciding he should probably retreat to his natural habitat.

Long spell of City possession, until it’s clipped wide to Gvardiol and the offside flag goes up.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:54 , Matt Verri

23 mins: Hudson-Odoi very nearly clean through, but Ake sticks out a toe and the ball flicks up for Ederson. Forest continue to threaten.

At the other end, Grealish drifts centrally and he’s bundled over. 20 yards out, just left of central.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:53 , Matt Verri

22 mins: City patient as ever, De Bruyne slides a pass wide to Gvardiol.

He has a couple of players waiting for a cut-back, but he instead slices the ball well over the bar. Not his best.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:49 , Matt Verri

18 mins: Boly back up after that collision, but Ederson needs some treatment. Looks to be his left shoulder causing him trouble.

Ortega warming up on the touchline, Ederson fine to continue for now though.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:47 , Matt Verri

16 mins: Another chance for Forest to break in wide areas, this time on the right. Williams skips into the box and tests Ederson at his near post, turned behind for a corner.

Niakhate flicks it on... off Rodri and behind for another corner.

This one is to the back post, Ederson and City not looking comfortable but it’s just about scrambled away. Forest looking dangerous from these set-pieces - Ederson came for it and basically smashed into Boly.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:45 , Matt Verri

14 mins: Forest try to break, but Wood isn’t particularly the man they want leading the charge.

He trips over the ball, De Bruyne finds Doku and he tries his luck from 25 yards out. Flashes wide.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:44 , Matt Verri

13 mins: Doku too quick as he chops past Niakhate and Aina, wins a free-kick just outside the box.

De Bruyne’s ball in is a good one, but Murillo does well to head it over his own bar.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:42 , Matt Verri

11 mins: Aina is getting some joy down that left wing for Forest.

Cuts inside, Doku gets back and shoves him from behind. Free-kick in a really dangerous position.

Gibbs-White is the man to take, just over the bar. Think Ederson would have got there anyway.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:40 , Matt Verri

9 mins: Rodri wins the ball back high up the pitch and City can pounce.

De Bruyne onto his right foot, deflected effort turned behind by Sels. Very nearly found the far corner.

Set-piece is whipped in, Sels makes a bit of a mess of coming for it, but whistle goes. He was fouled.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:37 , Matt Verri

6 mins: After that frantic start, the match has started to settle into the expected pattern.

Forest, playing a back five this afternoon, sitting deep and just waiting for their moments on the counter. Might not get many of them.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:34 , Matt Verri

3 mins: Silva pokes a pass through to Grealish in the box, can’t get the ball out of his feet though. Has to settle for a corner.

De Bruyne’s ball in drops for Doku, shot is blocked from a tight angle.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Man City

16:32 , Matt Verri

1 min: Forest should probably lead inside 20 seconds!

Aina with a brilliant run down the left, stands up a cross to the back post. Williams is free, but he scuffs his volley. Barely made contact.

KICK-OFF!

16:30 , Matt Verri

We’re up and running!

Here we go!

16:28 , Matt Verri

Teams are out at the City Ground.

It’s been relentless from Guardiola’s side in recent months - showing no signs of slipping up in the title race.

Time to find out if they can take another step towards the trophy.

Bernardo to shine?

16:25 , Matt Verri

Big afternoon for Bernardo Silva.

Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku both start, so can expect him to play more centrally on what is a landmark occasion.

And more pressure on him to provide that creative spark in the absence of Phil Foden.

Good memories for Forest

16:16 , Matt Verri

Man City did not enjoy their visit to the City Ground last season.

Chris Wood earned Nottingham Forest a point - the striker again leads the line this afternoon.

More of the same? Arsenal fans will certainly hope so.

Nuno: VAR has made football a mess

16:07 , Matt Verri

No surprise that much of Nuno Espirito Santo’s press conference was dominated by VAR talk.

Fair to say Nottingham Forest have made their frustrations known recently, and Nuno has criticised the “mess”.

He said: “My personal feeling is about referees not taking decisions on the pitch. They were doing it before so they should do it again and then comes VAR, not the other way around.

“The other way around is a huge mistake for the game. When it came, I supported it but maybe, one day not much ahead of us, we will say football was better before VAR because it’s been a mess."

Over to City...

16:00 , Matt Verri

Arsenal have beaten Tottenham... and it was not comfortable!

A win 3-2 for the Gunners, having been 3-0 up at the break. Job done though.

Advantage over Man City is four points - two games in hand for Pep Guardiola’s side though. It’s in City’s hands.

Tight at the bottom...

15:47 , Matt Verri

It’s going to be a nervy few weeks for Nottingham Forest.

They sit 17th in the table as it stands, a point ahead of Luton and two clear of Burnley. Two of those three sides will go down.

Forest travel to Burnley on the final day - it could all come down to that.

Haaland is back!

15:40 , Matt Verri

Haaland is back for Man City, named on the bench this afternoon. Not quite fit enough to start yet.

Foden and Dias miss out completely due to illness, while Doku and Grealish both come into the side.

Boly starts for Forest, making a surprise return from injury. Reyna drops to the bench for the hosts.

Nottingham Forest team news

15:34 , Matt Verri

Starting XI: Sels, Williams, Niakhate, Boly, Murillo, Aina,Elanga, Danilo, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Wood

Subs: Turner, Sangare, Toffolo, Reyna, Yates, Origi, Montiel, Omobamidele, Ribeiro

Man City team news

15:30 , Matt Verri

Starting XI: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne, Doku, Grealish, Alvarez

Subs: Ortega, Carson, Stones, Kovacic, Haaland, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis

No Foden?

15:15 , Matt Verri

Erling Haaland has arrived with the Man City squad at the City Ground - could be a major boost for the visitors.

No sign of Phil Foden though, after his brace in midweek. He would certainly be a big miss, for all City are certainly not short of options.

Stage is set!

15:01 , Matt Verri

Just under 30 minutes until we get all the team news from the City Ground.

Man City find key to success without Haaland

14:52 , Matt Verri

No Erling Haaland, no problem — not when you have Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden at your disposal.

Just when Arsenal fans were getting excited that they could be about to end their 20-year wait to win the title, a midweek wun was a ruthless reminder from Manchester City as to why they are favourites to win the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola's side dismantled Brighton 4-0. It is now 18 league matches in a row without defeat for City, with December 6 the last time they tasted defeat, and on the evidence of last night they are showing no signs of slowing down.

Read more about De Bruyne and Foden’s heroics here!

Pressure on Man City...

14:43 , Matt Verri

It looks like Arsenal are going to their job and ask another question of Man City.

The Gunners are 3-0 up on Tottenham in the first-half... real statement from them.

That would leave Arsenal four points clear at the top, but City have two games in hand. First of those comes this afternoon!

Masters: City hearing in the near future

14:32 , Matt Verri

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says Manchester City will face a hearing for their 115 alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules in the “near future”.

A date has been set for the hearing but Masters, speaking earlier this year, has not revealed further details.

It was announced in February 2023 that City had been charged with breaching Premier League's FFP regulations, with 115 individual charges between 2009 and 2018.

Man City have always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Speaking at a European Leagues press conference in London on Friday, Masters said: "We can’t comment on the case, the date is set. The case will resolve itself at some point in the near future."

City and Arsenal face Guimaraes deadline

14:18 , Matt Verri

Arsenal and Manchester City face a fight to sign Bruno Guimaraes this summer, with Eddie Howe adamant Newcastle will “build our team around him”.

Guimaraes is attracting interest from title chasers Arsenal and City, as well as French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

“Well, if I think it is something you don’t necessarily have control over, then I don’t tend to worry about it,” said Howe, when asked about speculation surrounding Guimaraes.

“I think, it goes without saying, my thoughts on Bruno’s situation are that we want to keep him, we want to build our team around him. He’s an integral part of what we are doing.

“But, as I say, we are not in control of it, so let’s see.”

Guimaraes has a £100million release clause in his contract, but it is understood that is only valued until the end of June.

“I think having that was well-planned and structured by the club, in a sense that there is sort of a finish point,” Howe said.

Forest irresponsible to wage VAR war

14:09 , Matt Verri

Nottingham Forest’s incendiary post about refereeing decisions in the aftermath of their defeat to Everton on Sunday has been viewed over 43 million times, making it one of football's most successful examples of rage-tweeting, writes Dan Kilpatrick.

To recap, minutes after full-time in their 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Everton, Forest's official X account claimed they had warned referees' body, the PGMOL, that VAR Stuart Attwell "is a Luton fan" before the game, and added that the club would "consider its options" after "three extremely poor decisions".

Attwell - who, incidentally, is considered competent enough by Uefa to be a VAR at this summer's European Championship - decided against overruling referee Anthony Taylor following three incidents involving Everton's Ashley Young in the penalty box.

Any sympathy Forest deserved was immediately diminished by the club's embarrassing post-match tweet and subsequent statements. Forest essentially insinuated that Attwell is a cheat whose judgement was influenced by his association with relegation rivals Luton.

It was wildly irresponsible, further undermining and making targets of officials who are increasingly seen as fair game by entitled clubs and frenzied fans alike.

Click here for the full column!

Standard Sport prediction

14:00 , Matt Verri

Forest held City to a 1-1 draw here, last season but surely do not have enough to halt a Guardiola team in this kind of form.

City are in ruthless mood and know they will likely need to win every match until the end of the season - any slip-ups here would be a massive shock.

Man City to win 3-1.

Man City team news

13:51 , Matt Verri

Manchester City will make a late call on Erling Haaland’s fitness.

The forward missed Thursday night’s victory over Brighton, with Pep Guardiola confirming ahead of the south coast clash that Haaland would be absent with a muscle injury.

"I spoke with him, and he says he feels better, I don't know,” Guardiola said of Haaland’s chances of being involved at the City Ground.

It is otherwise a fully-fit squad for Guardiola to choose from against Forest. Phil Foden was a slight doubt ahead of the Brighton match but was fit to start and scored twice, while John Stones was an unused substitute.

Ruben Dias did not feature against Brighton, but can be expected to return to the starting line-up at the City Ground.

Predicted Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Rodri, De Bruyne; Silva, Foden, Doku; Alvarez

Nottingham Forest team news

13:44 , Matt Verri

Taiwo Awoniyi is slowly returning to training, but this match is expected to come too soon for the Nottingham Forest forward.

Willy Boly is out for the hosts, with Moussa Niakhate and Murillo likely the centre-back partnership.

How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Man City

13:34 , Matt Verri

TV channel: The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR. Coverage starts after the north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal, approximately 4pm BST, ahead of a 4.30pm kick-off.

Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Sky Go app.

Live blog: Follow all the action LIVE right here with us!

Good afternoon!

13:27 , Matt Verri

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City!

Big, big match at both ends of the table. City seem to be on a relentless march to yet another Premier League title, while every point is crucial for Forest if they are to avoid relegation.

We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 4:30pm BST from the City Ground.