Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent.
This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years.
Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight.
Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.
Nottingham Forest FC 0 - 2 Manchester City FC
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:34
Gvardiol and Haaland scored either side of half-time to give City a 2-0 win over Forest at the City Ground to send them to within a point of Premier League leaders Arsenal. The Tricky Trees were the better side in the first half and created an xG of 1.27, but were wasteful in front of the goal. Williams scuffed an effort from close range inside 23 seconds, with Wood missing the target when the goal was open ahead of him. The Citizens were uncharacteristically quiet but broke the deadlock through Gvardiol, who powered De Bruyne's corner from the left into the net at the near post. Wood then had a massive chance blocked by Gvardiol just moments after the restart before City scored again. De Bruyne rolled a pass through to Haaland, who shifted possession onto his right foot to get past Murillo before slotting his strike into the bottom-left corner. Forest will continue their fight against relegation when they travel to the Blades next. As for City, they only created an xG of 0.84 but will be delighted to claim the win. They host Wolves in their upcoming outing. That's all for today, goodbye.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:28
FULL-TIME: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0-2 MANCHESTER CITY
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:28
SAVE! City put a neat passing move together, with Bobb, Haaland and Kovacic combining on the left. Bobb then rolls a pass into Haaland, who races into the box. However, his tame effort is saved by Sels.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:25
Forest are still showing some intent to win possession off City, but the visitors are just too smart on the ball. Walker flicks it over Aina's head before finding Rodri.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:22
There will be five minutes of additional time. Forest remain two goals behind and will probably see this as a missed opportunity to collect at least a point, as they have played well.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:20
Substitution Julián Álvarez Oscar Bobb
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:20
Substitution Kevin De Bruyne Matheus Luiz Nunes
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:20
SAVE! Ortega makes his first save since coming on! Hudson-Odoi collects possession in a wide position on the left and notices that he doesn’t have many options, so quickly shifts the ball onto his right foot before curling his strike towards the top-right corner. Ortega watches it all the way and gets a glove on his effort to push it away.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:18
Gibbs-White sends an inventive flick over to Yates, who rolls a pass down the right to the overlapping Montiel. He then looks for Reyna with a cutback, but the City defence clear the danger.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:16
Boly has been solid on his return to the Forest side and is now coming off for Sangare. The defender won four tackles.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:15
City did well to get through a storm of Forest attacks at the start of the second half and are now in complete control. They have had 76 per cent of the possession in the last 15 minutes and are passing it around the hosts, who look to have run out of energy.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:12
Rodri plays a pass forward to Haaland, who is looking in the mood to score again after netting City's second goal. He rolls past Boly before trying to go around Niakhate but is tackled on the edge of the box.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:10
Reyna is over a free-kick on the left, and he lifts a cross over to Boly at the back post, but he puts too much power on the ball. The defender can keep it alive on the byline but scoops it straight to Ortega.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:09
Wood tries to get on the end of a long ball, but Akanji gets the better of him and escapes with possession. The forward missed two chances for Forest when City were only leading 1-0.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:06
Haaland has scored his 21st goal in the Premier League this season. He has now scored in his last three games in the competition (three goals in total). City needed a moment of quality to put the contest beyond Forest and the forward has done just that!
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:05
Substitution Anthony David Junior Elanga Giovanni Alejandro Reyna
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:05
Substitution Murillo Santiago Costa dos Santos Andrew Abiola Omobamidele
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:05
Substitution Danilo dos Santos de Oliveira Ryan James Yates
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:02
Goal Erling Braut Haaland
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:02
City have lost both of their Premier League games in the Midlands so far this season, going down 2-1 at Wolves and 1-0 at Aston Villa. They last lost three consecutive such visits between March and December 2008. The visitors have only created an xG of 0.41 so far compared to Forest’s 1.55, but have looked brighter since Haaland’s introduction. Alvarez has been forced out to the left.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
18:00
GREAT SAVE! Alvarez has possession in Forest's half, and he rolls a pass through to De Bruyne, who turns in possession and has space ahead of him. He has Haaland ahead of him but goes alone outside the box and forces Sels into a fantastic save down to his right.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:59
CHANCE! Elanga appears on the right, driving down the wing before whipping a cross into an inviting area. Wood tries to get across, but the ball is just too far ahead of the forward.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:56
Rodri slots a pass through to De Bruyne, who looks to have space ahead of him at the heart of Forest's half. He makes a bursting run forward, but Niakhaté tracks him all the way and forces the Belgian back.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:55
OVER! Haaland's first touch is a wonderful flick to De Bruyne, who looks to unlock Alvarez with a pass down the left. The Argentine drives into the box before blasting his effort just over the bar.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:54
Haaland is back from injury and is now coming on, with Grealish strolling off the pitch looking unimpressed.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:54
Hudson-Odoi looks for options on the left and slides a wonderful pass through to Aina on the byline. The left-back then attempts to drive a low cross into the box, but Gvardiol clears it away.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:51
Hudson-Odoi has possession on the left and floats a cross into the box, with the ball getting flicked towards Montiel on the edge. He lines up for a shot, but his effort is blocked.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:50
Grealish spins past Boly on the halfway line before getting tripped by the defender. He wants to see the Forest man go into the book, but only a free-kick is given.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:48
A worrying moment for City, with Grealish on the floor after a late tackle. He gets back to his feet and will be fine, but the City Ground weren’t happy with the referee stopping the play.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:46
Forest manager Nuno has won three of his last five Premier League encounters with Man City (losing two), including his most recent one with Spurs in August 2021 (1-0). In fact, the Portuguese has lost just one of his four home top-flight matches against City boss Guardiola (winning two and drawing one), a 3-1 loss with Wolves in September 2020. He has crafted a brilliant plan to beat City, with his side creating an xG of 1.51 whilst limiting the visitors, but has been left disappointed with the finishing.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:44
Gibbs-White steals possession off Kovacic and immediately looks forward. The captain tries to chip the ball up to Wood, but it goes just too far ahead of him, with Ortega running out to collect it.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:43
WIDE! Elanga breaks forward with pace and rolls the ball down the left to Wood, who switches the play over to Montiel on the right. The Argentite then lays it back to Gibbs-White, who whips a first-time shot from the edge wide of the right post.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:42
City are unbeaten in their last 61 Premier League matches when leading at half-time (winning 54 and drawing seven) dating back to May 18, 2021 against Brighton (losing 3-2). The visitors were poor in the first half and have already gotten away with a poor strike from Wood in the second!
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:40
BLOCK! Wood has another golden opportunity to score! Elanga gets the better of Walker down the left and cuts the ball back across to Wood in the middle. The forward looks to beat Ortega with a first-time effort from close range, but Gvardiol blocks it. If he had put more power on his strike he would’ve scored!
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:37
City get the ball rolling again.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:36
Ederson went down in the first half and looked fine to continue but has not returned for the restart. Ortega replaces him in goal.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:36
Substitution Jérémy Baffour Doku Mateo Kovačić
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:32
Forest will be gutted that they haven’t converted their chances into at least one goal. The hosts have created an xG of 1.27 from their eight shots but have only hit the target once. Wood, Williams and Murillo were guilty of missing huge opportunities to score from close range, which could have a massive impact on their fight against relegation. However, Aina has been brilliant down the left, with the full-back looking to get forward at every opportunity, which has forced Doku to stay back at times and help Walker. As for City, Guardiola will wonder how his side are ahead. The visitors were left frustrated by Forest's defensive approach before the break and only registered an xG of 0.29. However, their lead means that their win probability is 81.5 per cent, with the champions currently just one point behind leaders Arsenal.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:27
Gvardiol scored his second Premier League goal to give City a 1-0 lead over Forest at half-time at the City Ground. The Tricky Trees are fighting against relegation but created many chances to score against the champions. The hosts could have taken the lead inside 23 seconds when Aina lifted a cross over to Williams, with the right-back scuffed his shot at the crucial moment. De Bruyne's low effort towards the bottom-right corner was pushed away by Sels before City took the lead. De Bruyne's inswinging cross towards the near post found Gvardiol, who leapt above Murillo to crash his header into the net. Forest then should levelled the score soon after when Montiel's cutback found Wood, but he missed the target with the goal open ahead of him.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:21
HALF-TIME: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0-1 MANCHESTER CITY
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:21
Gibbs-White looks to unlock Elanga on the break and curls a pass down the right, but the winger is offside by some distance. Wood then puts Ederson under pressure and forces him to kick it long.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:19
Forest win a late corner after Aina is tackled by Akanji next to the left corner flag. Hudson-Odoi whips his cross towards the near post, and Ederson fails to collect it, with Murillo flicking his effort from close range over the bar.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:17
There will be four minutes of additional time.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:14
Aina comes over from the left to take a throw-in on the right. He takes it short as the ball bounces around the edge of the box, with City unable to clear it away. Murillo then attempts to slide a pass through to Wood, but it escapes him. He was offside, anyway.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:13
OVER! Will Forest be punished for missing these chances? Wood lays a pass down the left to Hudson-Odoi, who races inside to get the ball onto his right foot before curling his effort well over from the edge of the box.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:11
Wood’s first Premier League goal for Forest came against City in this exact fixture last term. He’s been involved in six goals across his last nine home league starts for Forest (five goals and one assist). He has been in fantastic form, but that was a miss that he will want to forget.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:09
CHANCE! Forest should be level! Aina collects possession on the left and flashes a fantastic cross towards the back post. Montiel is there, and he directs the ball back across to Wood, but he scuffs his effort with the goal open ahead of him.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:07
De Bruyne races forward down the right and is allowed to shift the ball onto his left foot on the edge of the box, but his effort is blocked. Forest speed away on the counter with Aina bursting down the left, but his cross is helped back to Edderson by Ake and Gvardiol.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:06
Williams went down before City scored and cannot continue. He is replaced at full-back by Montiel.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:06
Guardiola is taking charge of his 300th Premier League game in charge of Manchester City; the last manager to celebrate the milestone with an away win was Martin O'Neill in April 2010, guiding Aston Villa to a 2-1 win over Portsmouth (drawing one and losing five since). City had a slow start but now have the lead!
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:04
GOALLLL! GVARDIOL SCORES! 1-0 CITY! The visitors take the lead! De Bruyne is over a corner on the left, and he curls his cross towards the near post. Gvardiol gets away from Gibbs-White and above Murillo before powering his header past Sels.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:04
Assist Kevin De Bruyne
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:02
Rodri plays a pass over to Gvardiol on the left, with the defender rolling the ball through to Grealish inside the box. He gets to the byline and has his low cross blocked by Williams, who stays down and needs treatment.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
17:00
CHANCE! Williams races down the right to get on the end of a wayward cross, playing it back to Gibbs-White, who whips an inviting right-footed cross into the box. Wood gets above his marker but lifts his header over the bar.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:59
City are putting the pressure on Forest and are forcing them back, but the Tricky Trees look pretty comfortable in their defensive shape. Rodri then plays a pass over to Gvardiol, who is offside.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:57
Foden is missing through illness for City, which could hurt the current Premier League champions. He has scored 16 goals and registered seven assists in the top flight this season, but Guardiola will have faith in the attacking talent in his side to secure the win. City have only had four shots so far, creating an xG of 0.14.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:55
De Bruyne and Silva are over a free-kick just outside Forest's box, with the Belgian thundering his effort against the wall. Niakhate stays down after making an important block before getting to his feet.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:54
That’s fantastic defending from Ake! Niakhate chips the ball over the top of City's defence, with Hudson-Odoi racing behind. He gets ahead of Ake, but the centre-back does brilliantly to poke it back to Ederson.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:52
Danilo collects the ball in space and has options ahead of him, with the Brazilian attempting an ambitious pass down the right to Elanga, but it is nowhere near him. Forest have been bright so far. However, they must be more careful in possession.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:52
Walker intercepts Danilo's pass, playing a quick one-two with Doku to create space down the right. The England international then drives a low cross into the box, but Silva's touch lets him down.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:49
Ederson is still on the floor and is receiving medical treatment. Ortega is getting warm, but the Brazilian will be able to continue.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:48
Gibbs-White's inswinging corner causes panic in City's box, but the visitors clear the instal danger. However, Forest put it back into the middle, with Boly crashing into Ederson, who stays on the floor.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:47
Williams races down the right and moves into the box. He has a lack of support around him so goes for goal, with Ederson beating his powerful strike wide of the right post.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:46
WIDE! Silva cannot control De Bruyne's corner, but Forest are caught in possession as they try to escape on the counter. Doku collects it on the edge, and he drives his strike just wide of the right post.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:44
Aina fouled Doku just a few moments ago, and now it is the Forest man who trips the winger as he tries to progress forward down the right. De Bruyne curls a right-footed cross into the heart of the box, with Murillo heading it over the top of the bar.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:43
OVER! Danilo and Gibbs-White are over the free-kick just to the left outside the box, with the Forest captain taking responsibility. However, his right-footed strike goes just over the top-left corner.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:42
Aina collects possession on the left and drives forward before getting tripped by Doku, who gifts the host a needless free-kick in a promising position. He needs to help Walker more often, as he is getting caught one-on-one with Aina.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:40
SAVE! Rodri wins possession off Gibbs-White and finds Grealish, who pokes the ball down the left side of the box to De Bruyne. The Belgian switches it onto his right foot and curls a low strike towards the bottom-right corner, but Sels gets across to push it behind.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:39
Murillo spreads the play out to the left, with Aina looking to get forward before playing it back to Hudson-Odoi. The winger then rolls a pass back to Murillo, who looks to go direct again. However, he hands possession back to City.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:38
City retain possession on the edge of Forest's box with Rodri, Grealish and Gvardiol combining on the left. The Croatia international then lays a pass across to De Bruyne, who sends his ball out for a goal-kick.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:35
City have a corner on the left, with De Bruyne curling his inswinging cross into the heart of the box. The ball bobbles around before Doku attempts to drive his strike towards the bottom-left corner, but it is blocked before Forest clear it away.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:33
Forest will be viewing this contest against City as their most difficult one remaining by some distance. After today, they travel to already relegated Sheffield United and Burnley either side of hosting Chelsea. The Tricky Trees are just one point above Luton, with any surprise points today being a massive bonus. It looks like they are going for a defensive approach, but Forest will always threaten on the counter with Elanga, Gibbs-White and Hudson-Odoi in the side. Aina made a fantastic run forward moments ago.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:32
CHANCE! What an opportunity for Forest! Aina makes a surging run forward down the left, getting to the byline before lifting a cross towards Williams. He tries to get a shot away at close range but scuffs his effort at the vital moment!
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:31
Forest get this Premier League clash under way. The City Ground is full of noise!
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:31
Forest have lost just three of their last 16 top-flight home games against City (winning 10 and drawing three), going down 2-0 in 1985, 3-1 in 1990 and 2-0 in 1993. Both teams are on the pitch and are ready to get started.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:16
City make two alterations to the team that beat Brighton 4-0 in the Premier League. There is a surprise in the Citizens squad, with Foden missing altogether through illness. Kovacic moves onto the bench, with Doku and Grealish appearing on the wings. Haaland returns as a substitute after missing City’s last two matches.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:11
Forest make two changes to the side that lost 2-0 to Everton in their previous outing. Nicolas Dominguez is not in the squad, and Reyna drops onto the bench. The Tricky Trees move to a move defensive approach, with Boly coming into the side at centre-back. Additionally, Elanga starts on the wing.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:11
MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega, Sergio Gomez, Matheus Nunes, Scott Carson, Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:11
MANCHESTER CITY (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol; Rodri, Manuel Akanji; Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish; Julian Alvarez.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:06
NOTTINGHAM FOREST SUBS: Matt Turner, Ibrahim Sangare, Harry Toffolo, Giovanni Reyna, Ryan Yates, Divock Origi, Gonzalo Montiel, Andrew Omobamidele, Rodrigo Ribeiro.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:06
NOTTINGHAM FOREST (5-4-1): Matz Sels; Neco Williams, Moussa Niakhate, Willy-Arnaud Boly, Murillo, Ola Aina; Anthony Elanga, Danilo, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi; Chris Wood.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:06
City are unbeaten in their previous 18 Premier League outings and eased their way through what could've been a tricky contest against Brighton in midweek. The Citizens were 3-0 ahead at half-time after a clever header from Kevin De Bruyne and a brace from Phil Foden before Julian Alvarez added a fourth just past the hour mark. As a result of Liverpool only collecting one point from their previous two outings, Pep Guardiola's men are one point ahead of the Reds with two games in hand, with Arsenal now their main competitor for the title. The Gunners have played two more games than Ciy and are four points clear at the top of the table after a narrow 3-2 win over rivals Tottenham earlier today.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:06
Forest are in a battle to stay in the Premier League and are just one point above the drop zone after only winning one of their previous nine top-flight matches (drawing three and losing five). The Tricky Trees faced relegation rivals Everton in their last outing, losing 2-0 after goals from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil. Forest were then at the heart of off-the-pitch controversy after putting out a strongly worded social media post that questioned the refereeing decisions and the appointment of Stuart Attwell as video assistant referee. Nevertheless, Nuno Espirito Santo's men will want to extend their unbeaten run at the City Ground to four matches to help in their fight for survival. Additionally, they will take some confidence from their 1-1 draw at home to the Premier League champions last campaign.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
16:00
Hello and welcome to live commentary for the Premier League clash between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
15:30
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