Man City keep pressure on Arsenal despite injury scare at Nottingham Forest

Manchester City responded to Arsenal's North London Derby win with a victory of their own at the City Ground, but Nottingham Forest made them work hard for it.

After Mikel Arteta's Gunners resisted a second-half comeback from neighbours Tottenham, it was the turn of the reigning Premier League champions. Both teams had big chances in the first half, but only City defender Josko Gvardiol was able to put one of them away.

Despite their lowly league position, Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest were able to cause problems for their opponents. It was hard for City to relax, with left wing-back Ola Aina causing problems on more than one occasion.

At this stage of the season, a win of any flavour will do for the title contenders, and substitute Erling Haaland ensured they'd end the day with just that. Victory-by-any-means was especially important on a day which brought a fresh injury worry for Ederson after Phil Foden was already missing through illness.

City didn't have things all their own way early on, but took the lead a little over half an hour in when Josko Gvardiol headed a Kevin De Briuyne corner beyond Matz Sels. Forest gave as good as they got in the early stages, with their wing-backs getting forward well. though an injury for Neco Williams left them a man down defending the corner from which the City man headed home.

Nuno's side seemed to sense counter-attacks were their best source of opportunities, and City needed alert last-ditch defending from Nathan Ake to snuff out danger midway through the first period. The recently prolific Chris Wood spurned chances for the hosts too, with City forced into changes as they aimed to get more of a foothold.

Eventually it was one of those changes which paid dividends, with Erling Haaland - back from injury - making the points safe. Here are Mirror Football 's talking points at the end of a nervy afternoon for the defending Premier League champions.

1. Gvardiol has his scoring touch

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The Champions League game against Real Madrid might have ended painfully for Manchester City, but at the very least it unlocked goalscoring potential in Josko Gvardiol. The Croatian defender had gone more than a year without netting for club or country before his screamer at the Bernabeu, but not has three goals in less than a month.

City have benefited from defenders scoring key goals in previous title campaigns. Vincent Kompany's effort against Leicester in 2019 is the most striking recent example, but there's also the Belgian's Manchester Derby winner in 2012 and Nathan Ake's deadlock-breaker against West Ham in last season's run-in.

At this stage of a title race, it's not about how you win but rather whether you do so. City have been there and done it, and they won't turn their nose up at a header from a corner sending them on their way to three points.

2. Forest made to pay for big misses

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It's not too common to see Manchester City give up too many big chances in games in this part of the season, which will make Forest's misses all the more painful. Williams will feel he should have got more on an early effort which Gvardiol managed to block, but it got worse from there.

Chris Wood has been in fine form this season, but got his feet all wrong with the goal gaping at one down. Murillo tends to be less of a threat in front of goal, but the Brazilian defender will feel he could have done better with a chance at the end of the first half after compatriot Ederson struggled to deal with a set piece.

Wood had yet another golden chance early in the second half, but his weak effort was blocked by Gvardiol, and that wasn't the only opportunity. An ability to create big chances may well encourage Nuno as his team fights against the drop, but they'll need to be more efficient at taking them in the weeks to come.

3. Doku fails audition in Foden's absence

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Phil Foden took the bull by the horns for City at Brighton on Thursday night, but wasn't involved at the City Ground. Pep Guardiola confirmed the England international missed out through illness, and his absence left space for Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish to attempt to impress.

In Doku's case, things couldn't have gone much worse. The Belgian gave away a free-kick in a dangerous spot and struggled with his defensive duties up against Ola Aina, prompting Pep Guardiola to withdraw him at the break.

Grealish didn't last much longer, making way for Haaland just after the hour mark, though he did at least win the corner from which his team went in front. Even so, City will hope Foden's absence isn't a long one.

4. City sweating on Ederson

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Kovacic wasn't the only player introduced at the break. Stefan Ortega also entered the fray, and it wasn't the first time this term Guardiola has been forced into a goalkeeping change mid-game.

The Brazil international was involved in a collision with Forest's Willy Boly in the first half, after which he appeared in some pain. It was enough to end his afternoon early, though it remains to be seen how long it keeps him on the sidelines.

After watching Arsenal give up a goal through an error from their own keeper in the 2pm kick-off, City would rather have their first choice stopper available for the remainder of the season. If Ortega ends up having to see them home, though, he'll surely have the backing of his manager and team-mates.

5. Haaland return eases pressure after Arsenal win

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City coped just fine without Erling Haaland against Brighton in midweek, but it didn't take long for the Norwegian to show what he can do after coming off the bench against Forest. He'd been on the pitch for less than 10 minutes when he found a way past Sels to settle nerves and score his 21st league goal of the season.

That number is one more than Cole Palmer, who had drawn level at the top of the charts in recent weeks. While Haaland would surely love to top the pile for a second straight season, there's the old cliche about three points for the team mattering more than any personal achievements.

Next up for City is a home game against Wolves. aaland scored a hat-trick in the fixture last season, and there are plenty in Manchester who would love to see a repeat.

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