Callum Hudson-Odoi’s late winner solidifies Nottingham Forest’s place in third as Manchester City lose their ninth league match of the season
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester City (Hudson-Odoi 83′)
CITY GROUND — Make no mistake. This ground and these players are primed for the Champions League challenge that now surely awaits.
This was a statement from Nottingham Forest, not so much a heist against Manchester City but a case of patiently waiting and slowly improving, growing into the game and then pouncing when it mattered most.
It took Forest until the 83rd minute to expose City’s true weakness – the space down the flanks – but this was a counter-attack that blew the roof off, as Callum Hudson-Odoi’s strike squeezed past Ederson at the near post to solidify their place in third.
“When it became up and down like basketball, that was good for us,” Nuno said with a telling smile.
Forest are now four points clear of fourth-placed City, and with fifth set to become a Champions League place as well, Nuno’s side would be right to believe this dream is less than three months away from becoming a reality.
“Get your passports lads!” one buoyant fan yelled on the steps down from the terraces. “One foot in the top four!” beamed another.
And who would want to come here? That question genuinely applies for any continental side, for Forest really know how to get up for the big games. They’ve drawn with Liverpool and Arsenal at the City Ground this season, beating Aston Villa and thumping Brighton to boot.
The reward for this will be European football, in at least some sort of guise. The Europa League now feels like the fallback, with a return to the European Cup for the first time since 1980 firmly in the offing.
“We’ve got to stay humble. We know the position we’re in but there’s still a lot of games to go,” Hudson-Odoi said.
This was a battle between third versus fourth in the table, but as far as possession is concerned this season, a meeting between the top and bottom.
No surprise then that City enjoyed more than two-thirds possession in the opening half, while Forest were content to feed on scraps.
City went closest in the first half when Nico Gonzalez flashed a shot from distance against the outside of the post, while Forest were made to wait until the 41st minute until their first attempt on target, Chris Wood’s chipped attempt proving a simple catch for Ederson.
Forest were a different side in the second half, and Pep Guardiola’s frustration visibly grew on the sidelines, the Manchester City boss pacing the technical area.
Guardiola brought on Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis, and then Kevin De Bruyne and Omar Marmoush, but it had little impact on a Forest side who executed their gameplan to perfection.
It felt as though Forest should have repeatedly targeted City’s flanks, especially with the pace of Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga out wide, but the lack of possession meant they had to bide their time.
What a ball it was then from Morgan Gibbs-White, the midfielder – surely in contention for an England call-up from Thomas Tuchel on Friday – turning and playing a fine ball over the top for Hudson-Odoi.
Callum Hudson-Odoi fires Nottingham Forest into the lead against Man City! 💥
How about that assist from Morgan Gibbs-White 😮💨
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/WiR5642xK3
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 8, 2025
The winger then did the rest, carrying the ball into the area before catching Ederson out at his near post.
The City goalkeeper had made a world-class save just 20 minutes prior to deny Hudson-Odoi, but on this occasion he was at fault as Forest beat City in the Premier League for the first time since 30 September 1995 – the season of their last European campaign, in the Uefa Cup.
City meanwhile are left once more licking their wounds. This was a new XI from Guardiola, signs he is continuing to experiment with the league title out of their reach, but their lack of cutting edge will have concerned him.
They are very much in a fight to finish in the top five, and may need a favour from the sides still in Europe to ensure fifth does open up as a Champions League place.