In a highly contentious afternoon for the Champions, Manchester City defeated Nottingham Forest by a score of 2-0 to claim victory.
Following their victory over Forest, Pep Guardiola’s team earned their sixth straight league triumph, but it wasn’t an easy afternoon for the home team, who had to overcome challenges to maintain their lead.
The Blues got off to a quick start, scoring early on when Rodri fired a ball out to Kyle Walker, who deftly tapped it back to an advancing Phil Foden, who blasted the ball past Matt Turner in the Nottingham Forest goal.
After 14 minutes, summer acquisition Matheus Nunes lofted the ball into the penalty area where Erling Haaland expertly headed the ball home to double Manchester City’s lead.
For the remainder of the first half, City maintained control of possession while largely avoiding injury and testing the Forest goal along the way.
However, after the break, chaos quickly broke out.
Less than a minute into the match, a seemingly unimportant altercation turned into a chaotic frenzy, in which the normally cool-headed Rodri was at the fore, gripping an opponent in an uncharacteristic manner.
Unsurprisingly, Rodri was sent off for his actions, making the rest of the half difficult for Guardiola’s team as they had to play with a man less.
Jeremy Doku was replaced by Kalvin Phillips after Rodri was suspended and the Englishman filled in.
The Sky Blues played a cagey second half, frequently becoming irritable as throw-ins were celebrated as goals, highlighting the challenge they were facing while down to ten men.
However, some strong and tenacious defending made sure that City did manage to finish the game, continuing their winning streak and remaining atop the summit for another weekend.
Here are five things we discovered from Saturday’s unusual victory at the Etihad!
Gareth Southgate, that one is for you.
For the second time in a row, the England manager watched the game from a comfortable seat at the Etihad, and Phil Foden gave him exactly what he wanted with a decisive opening goal to break the tie.
Phil Foden, 23, showed his versatility by starting on the right and playing in a centering position during the debate over the best position for him to play in an England jersey.
Foden has grown tremendously since making his debut for Manchester City, and his performance as man of the match on Saturday served as yet another testament to his talent.
Erling Haaland.
Funny enough, there have been some uncertainties surrounding Erling Haaland so far this season.
Haaland increased his goal total with a header against Nottingham Forest.
He has 60 goals in 62 games for the team.
Haaland will have been relieved to get back among the goals after missing a few opportunities against West Ham and Red Star over the previous seven days.
He leapt highest and nodded home.
Pep Guardiola has been steadfast in his demands that his players feed Haaland, which clarifies his opinion on the borderline absurd concerns raised about his center forward’s conversion rate.
What are you doing… Rodri?
Rodri, who is known for having an impeccable sense of style, had a moment of insanity on Saturday.
Thankfully, the incident was not too serious.
Rodri will be suspended for the next three domestic games as a result of his altercation with Morgan Gibbs-White.
As a result, he will miss three crucial away games, including a cup match against Newcastle and a crucial trip to the Emirates.
After Rodri’s outburst, Pep Guardiola expressed his displeasure with the Spaniard, admitting that he is angry and that Rodri was compelled to apologize to his Manchester City teammates.
For Kalvin Phillips, the time has come to shine.
Phillips has encountered difficulty making the team since moving from Leeds to Manchester last summer.
The Yorkshireman hasn’t quite seized any opportunities since his arrival, whether it’s due to injuries or poor play.
For Phillips, though, it’s now or never with Rodri gone.
Phillips will hopefully have the confidence to continue and fill the void left by the suspended Rodri after a successful cameo after the departure of the Spaniard, which was preceded by a classy performance in an England shirt against Scotland.
Phillips needs to seize the opportunity and show everyone why the club spent the money last summer.
This will be made easier by the nearly assured run of starts the Englishman is likely to receive in the coming weeks.
Champions put on a passionate show.
The Sky Blues demonstrated why they are the treble winners by responding to their defeat on Saturday with a monstrous mentality, even though it may not have been a “typical City” performance.
The loss of Rodri left a huge hole that would have given Forest a boost in confidence, but the tenacious and persistent City defense effectively neutralized the threats of the away team.
The tenacity displayed on Saturday should serve as a springboard for their challenging stretch of upcoming games, as they now turn their focus to midweek’s matchup between Manchester City and Newcastle at St. James Park.
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