Forest stun City as Arsenal go seven points clear
Agency :
Manchester City drop points in a shock draw to Nottingham Forest allowing Arsenal to move seven points clear at the top of the table Premier League table.
City welcomed a struggle Forest side to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night in a game where they were heavy favourites.
Things didn’t go quite as Pep Guardiola’s side might have expected, as they dropped points in a 2-2 draw, allowing Arsenal to take another crucial step forward in their pursuit of the title.
City took the lead through Antoine Semenyo, who finished cleverly from a Rayan Cherki cross just after the half hour mark to put the Citizens ahead going into half-time.
Forest struck back on what was arguably their first meaningful attack of the game, with Morgan Gibbs-White producing a brilliant back-heel finish, only for City to regain the lead minutes later through a towering header from Rodri.
Like so often this season, City never looked completely comfortable and again let the visitors back into the game. Elliot Anderson curled in a superb strike past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 76th to make it 2-2.
The hosts pushed for a late winner, dominating possession and creating chances deep into stoppage time, but they were denied by a dramatic clearance off the line by Forest defender Murillo from a Savinho effort with the last kick of the game.
The Gunners, who played on the same night as City, travelled to Brighton for their midweek fixture and unlike their title rivals, they made no mistake of grabbing the three points.
The only goal of the game came early, when Bukayo Saka scored in the ninth minute with a strike that took a deflection and crept past Brighton’s goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Brighton dominated possession for large parts of the match and created several chances, but they were unable to find a way past a resilient Arsenal defence.
Despite the Seagulls pressure, Arsenal again showed their defensive strength and organisation, limiting the hosts to few clear opportunities and holding on for the narrow win.
The result was a significant one in the title race, as it saw Arsenal open up a seven-point gap at the top of the Premier League with Manchester City dropping points on the same night.
While Arsenal’s attacking play was not at its most fluent, their defensively disciplined performance ensured they took all three points on a tough away trip.
Following the win, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lauded his team for their performance, coming off the back of two impressive London derby victories.
“We’re coming back from a very difficult game with a lot of intensity, with players really going through the line in every game, with difficulties, not able to train and to come here and get the result that we got, I think it’s remarkable.”
