LONDON: Manchester City suffered a third consecutive Premier League defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest on Saturday, allowing Arsenal to stretch their lead at the top of the table to six points.
Enzo Maresca’s men desperately needed a win at the City Ground to keep pace with the in-form champions, who have taken 27 points from a possible 30, but lost 3-1.
City had a mountain to climb after falling two goals behind in the 18th minute following strikes from defender Jair Cunha and forward Liam Delap.
The visitors were much improved after the break and Rayan Cherki cut the deficit with an emphatic strike into the roof of the net, underlining a shift in momentum.
But Delap restored Forest’s two-goal advantage in the 73rd minute, rifling home with his left foot past the outstretched hand of Gianluigi Donnarumma, sparking a celebratory touchline sprint from manager Oliver Glasner.
Maresca said his team had failed to match Forest’s intensity in the first half, even if his side improved after the break.
“I’m always concerned, even when we win games,” he said. “Again, we need to have a balance.
“We won seven in a row. Now we lost three in a row. So we need balance on that just during the international break – try to understand what we can do better and try to start again after the international break.”
Glasner, whose team had not previously scored a Premier League goal at home this season, praised their spirit.
“It was a very good day to play Manchester City but, to be honest, today the energy in the team and at the City Ground was so incredible that it would have been tough for every team in the world to play against us,” the Austrian told Sky Sports.
City, who won their first seven league games under new manager Maresca, know that even if they close the gap to Arsenal, it might ultimately all be in vain.
The 10-time English champions are still waiting to discover their fate after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules – with a huge points deduction one potential punishment.
- ODEGAARD STRIKES –
Arsenal, red-hot favourites to win back-to-back titles for the first time since the 1930s, look as though they might turn the Premier League race into a procession.
But they made hard work of defeating struggling Hull, needing a goal from Martin Odegaard to break the deadlock in the 72nd minute.
Frustration mounted as the second half unfolded but the captain came to his side’s rescue, netting his first goal since early September with a poacher’s finish after Konstantinos Tzolakis spilled Noni Madueke’s shot.
Arsenal manager Arteta praised his players but wants them to be more clinical after they recorded a third 1-0 win in four league games.
“That’s the next step, to have bigger margins and when we have them, the opportunities, put them away to make sure that we don’t have to hang in there the last few minutes,” he said.
In the early kick-off, Leeds struck in the 79th minute through substitute Noah Okafor to beat Tottenham 1-0, ending the visitors’ three-match winning run.
The major talking point in the first half was a challenge by Leeds defender Jayden Bogle on Spurs winger Mathys Tel, which was reviewed for a potential red card by VAR officials before eventually being cleared.
Tel had to leave the field shortly before half-time.
The BBC reported Tottenham are to make a formal complaint to referees’ chiefs over the incident, which was not reviewed on the pitchside monitor by referee John Brooks.
Elsewhere, Jacob Murphy put Newcastle on course for a much-needed win with a spectacular strike at Craven Cottage but substitute Rodrigo Muniz levelled just three minutes later to earn a 1-1 draw.
Forest’s win against City means Michael Carrick’s Manchester United will kick off against Aston Villa on Sunday in the relegation zone.–AFP