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Manchester City fell to a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in Matchday 28 of the Premier League on Saturday, March 8.
As a result, Forest have now created a four-point gap between themselves in third and City behind them in fourth place.
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Manchester City started off the game with confidence and looked to keep possession of the ball from the beginning. However, this played into the hands of Forest, who were prepared to stay compact and be patient off the ball. Their discipline and well-drilled shape made things tough for the visitors in the first period. However, it impacted their own attacking chances as well.
With just 32% of possession in the first half, Nottingham Forest lacked enough opportunities to penetrate Manchester City's final third and cause damage. They attempted three first-half shots, with just one of those on target. Meanwhile, City attempted seven shots but managed just one shot on target as well. Both teams were eager to correct their mistakes before coming out for the second half.
The score was 0-0 at the half-time interval.
The second half was almost a repeat of the first in terms of possession and other statistics. Manchester City also showed their hand first as Pep Guardiola made a pelthora of chances around the hour-mark to try and turn the tide in their favour. However, this did not work out as Nottingham Forest were prepared to dig deep and defend until the end of the 90 minutes.
The game looked to be slowly meandering towards a goalless draw but Forest had other plans. Morgan Gibbs-White provided a lovely assist for Callum Hudson-Odoi to score and make it 1-0 to the hosts in the 83rd minute. Manchester City tried their level best to get back into the game towards the end but it was too little, too less, as the hosts held onto secure a narrow win.
On that note, here are City's player ratings.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Ederson - 7/10
Ederson made three decent stops between the sticks for Manchester City but was unfortunate to end up on the losing side.
Matheus Nunes - 6/10
Nunes won just one duel, was dispossessed eight times and failed to have a positive impact in general as he was also booked.
Abdukodir Khusanov - 7/10
He won three duels, making five clearances, two blocks, two interceptions and one tackle.
Ruben Dias - 7/10
Dias was solid in defence and also captained Manchester City in this match. He won three of four duels, making three clearances and two tackles. He distributed the ball with 97% accuracy.
Josko Gvardiol - 7.5/10
Gvardiol won three duels in defence, making four clearances and two tackles. He passed the ball with 90% accuracy and also played two key passes.
Nico Gonzalez - 6.5/10
Gonzalez had an average game in the middle of the park for Manchester City and was also booked for a foul.
Savinho - 6.5/10
Savinho started on the right flank but could not make much of an impact as he was closely-marked and most of the moves happened on the other side.
Bernardo Silva - 7/10
Silva passed the ball with 84% accuracy, including two key passes. He completed one dribble and also won six duels.
Phil Foden - 7/10
Foden had a decent game but could not create anything decisive. He played three key passes, attempted one shot off-target and also won his only duel.
Jeremy Doku - 7.5/10
Doku passed the ball with 87% accuracy, including one key pass. He also completed six dribbles and won a whopping 10 duels as well.
Erling Haaland - 6.5/10
Haaland had a subpar game as he attempted two shots throughout the match but failed to hit the target on both occasions.
Substitutes
Rico Lewis - 6.5/10
He replaced Nunes and put in a decent performance towards the end of the match for City.
Mateo Kovacic - 6.5/10
He replaced Kovacic after the hour-mark and put in a decent performance in midfield.
Kevin De Bruyne - 6.5/10
He replaced Foden in the second period and put in a decent performance.
Omar Marmoush - 6.5/10
He replaced Savinho in the second half but could not make an impact.
