Peter Lansley was at the City Ground and his report is in. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Nuno Espírito Santo talks to TNT. “The organisation … the resilience … the hard work of the boys … when Morgan drops he has the ability … then it’s all about Callum … but it’s not about individuals … all the players worked very hard … we have made a big improvement from last season … it is about enjoying the moment … we must keep going on our journey … it is all about game by game … the fans are everything for us … a bond … trust … the goal is a part of them, because the noise comes.”
Pep Guardiola speaks to TNT. “A tight game … we controlled the transitions … created not a lot of chances … we defended really well … we had chances to shoot but were not precise … we lost the ball and in transition they scored … they defended really well … we were not precise in the last moment and could not do it … we have ten games to qualify [for the Champions League] and we are going to the next one … we conceded few … defensively we were really good … the game was tight … every season the Premier League gets better and better … we have ten finals and the next one we start.”
More from Callum Hudson-Odoi on TNT. “We’ve just got to stay humble … we know the position we’re in but there’s still a lot of games to go until the end of the season so it’s about staying humble.” I don’t think it was meant as a deliberate slight on Erling Haaland, but no doubt someone somewhere will join the dots. It might be hard to resist.
Ola Aina, who had a fine match at right-back, speaks to TNT. “It’s massive for us … we knew City were hot on our tails … we needed to get a result … thankfully we did … a massive result … Jérémy Doku is very direct … tricky … I was telling him on the pitch, you need to chill! … he’s a tough opponent … I like to test myself … he got the better of me sometimes, I got the better of him … it was a good one.”
The match-winner Callum Hudson-Odoi talks to TNT Sports. “You could see how energetic we were … we fought every battle … I’m happy we got the win for the crowd … look at them, it’s amazing … we appreciate it and try to do our best every game for them … every game we play is difficult … we have to fight every single game … we worked hard and deserved it … we’re buzzing … we recover and go again next week … every time I tell him [Morgan Gibbs-White] just look for me, look for me, look for me! … and he found me! … you know he’s got that quality, he’s a special player … I’m happy for the pass … I’m buzzing … we need to keep getting points on the board … enjoy the moment and go again … we believe in them [the fans] and they believe in us.”
All of which just about audible with a joyous rendition of Freed From Desire going on behind him in the stand.
The City Ground en fête. Time for another 70s classic to pump out of the PA system: Rockin’ All Over the World. Everyone bouncing along, and why not, because that’s some result for Nottingham Forest, who have put a little space between themselves and Manchester City as the pair battle to secure a place in next season’s Champions League. A deserved win, too. Partly on the balance of play, which Forest edged; partly due to their fighting spirit and gritty defensive stand; but mainly thanks to that glorious crossfield assist by Morgan Gibbs-White, which was followed by an assured dribble and finish from Callum Hudson-Odoi. Bang bang. City’s hopes of a top-four spot are hardly extinguished by this defeat, but they’ve got a battle on nonetheless.
FULL TIME: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester City
A huge result for Forest in the race for the Champions League! As for the outgoing champions: whatever happened to the likely lads?
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 28 | 40 | 67 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 27 | 28 | 54 |
| 3 | Nottm Forest | 28 | 12 | 51 |
| 4 | Man City | 28 | 15 | 47 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 27 | 16 | 46 |
Updated
90 min +4: Kovacic loops a cross in from the right. Sels threatens to drop a clanger, requiring two flaps to catch the ball, but he eventually gets it under control. That should be that.
90 min +3: Forest waste some time holding the ball by the corner flag. Meanwhile on TNT, Ally McCoist names the goalscorer Callum Hudson-Odoi as his player of the match.
90 min +2: Aina feeds Awoniyi down the right. Awoniyi takes the ball to the corner, and wins one.
90 min +1: Doku reaches the byline down the left and crosses. Murillo heads behind for a corner, and City nearly rescue themselves, Kovacic meeting a poor clearance and creaming a shot inches wide of the top-right corner! What a hit. Sels might have struggled to get to that.
90 min: There will be four bonus minutes.
89 min: The City Ground a celebratory cauldron now. Nuno still in his big coat.
88 min: City push forward in desperation. Their passes aren’t sticking, though.
87 min: A double change for Forest. Off goes Hudson-Odoi and Wood, on come Morato and Awoniyi.
85 min: The City Ground is bouncing now. And suddenly Wood has half a chance to make it two, the ball at his feet just inside the box, but he can’t get anything away. Hudson-Odoi meanwhile has picked up a yellow card for celebration-related shenanigans.
84 min: You’d have to question Ederson there. Should he have been beaten at the near post? To be fair to the keeper, Hudson-Odoi really hit that, but there will be opinions. What an assist by Gibbs-White, too!
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester City (Hudson-Odoi 83)
What a goal this is! Gibbs-White, in the left-back position, sprays a glorious diagonal pass towards Hudson-Odoi on the right flank. Hudson-Odoi drives into the box, getting past Gvardiol and hammering a shot towards the near post. Ederson is beaten by the pace, and Forest lead! A huge moment in the race for a Champions League spot!
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82 min: Marmoush clips the in-flight Hudson-Odoi from behind. He’s lucky to escape a booking. Forest populate the City box but nothing comes of the resulting free kick.
80 min: City are ramping it up: they’ve enjoyed 76 percent of possession during the last five minutes. Nuno decides his defence needs more help, and replaces Elanga with Sangare.
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79 min: De Bruyne crosses low from the right. Murillo tries to hack clear but the ball hits the back of his knee and squirts towards the bottom right of the Forest goal. Murillo is fortunate that Sels is on point.
78 min: De Bruyne catches the free kick nicely, curling it around the right-hand side of the Forest wall. But Sels handles well on the line.
77 min: Marmoush gets the better of Yates here, though, running hard down the inside-left channel and drawing an agricultural block. A booking for Yates, and a free kick just to the left of the D. A very dangerous position, especially with De Bruyne hovering over the dead ball with a glint in his eye.
75 min: Yates scraps to take the ball away from Doku and Marmoush. The crowd love it. Yates slips a pass down the right for Elanga, who has options in the middle but mishits his cross. Shame for Yates, who gave his all to start that counter.
73 min: Silva works hard down the right in the hope of winning a corner off Williams. The ball goes beyond the byline but he doesn’t get what he wants. He tells it like he sees it to the linesman, and wants to watch himself here, but fortunately for the irked City star, the official takes no umbrage.
72 min: Kovacic bustles down the middle, never properly in control but taking the ball with him anyway. The ball breaks to De Bruyne, just inside the box. He opens his body and attempts to steer a curler into the top left. Always high and wide, but had it been on target, Sels wasn’t getting there.
70 min: City make another double change, sending on De Bruyne and Marmoush in place of Savinho and Foden, the latter not particularly chuffed to see his number go up. Forest respond by switching out Dominguez for Yates.
69 min: Kovacic finds Doku in space down the right with a forensic pass. Doku has options in the middle, only to be startled by Williams, sliding in from nowhere to block. That’s great defending, and he celebrates in the style of Gabriel Magalhães, waving his arms, encouraging the crowd to roar. And why not.
67 min: Hudson-Odoi sashays in from the left, enters the box, and threads a fine shot through a crowded box towards the bottom right. It’s heading in, but Ederson extends a strong arm to turn the ball onto the base of the post and away. What a save! Alissonesque! Sensational play all round!
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66 min: Another fine block here, up the other end this time. Savinho enters the Forest box from the left and shoots, only for Milenkovic to successfully throw himself in the road.
64 min: Dias worms his way up the inside-left channel before bobbling a weak shot towards the bottom-left corner. Sels mops up without fuss. Forest counter through Gibbs-White, who has a whack from distance. Bob Ferris blocks.
62 min: City make a double change, replacing Nunes and Gonzalez with Lewis and Kovacic. Lewis’s first act is to hook clear a dangerous Dominguez cross from the right.
60 min: There’s not a lot going on. I’ve just realised who Abdukodir Khusanov reminds me of. It’s Rodney Bewes, isn’t it. A cutting-edge cultural reference for the internet generation there. Any old excuse to post one of the great theme tunes.
58 min: City get patient again. Forest look pretty comfortable sitting back.
56 min: Savinho wins a corner down the left. Silva meets it with a shot that’s blocked. Gibbs-White attempts to counter at speed, only to be brought down by Nunes. The City man goes into the book.
54 min: Forest seem in a more proactive mood in this second half. Williams and Anderson buzzing around the left flank, not quite getting the better of Khusanov and Nunes.
52 min: … Elanga finds Gibbs-White at the near post, six yards out, but the midfielder heads harmlessly wide.
51 min: Anderson bothers Khusanov down the left, and wins a cheap corner. From which …
49 min: Foden, quarterbacking from deep, passes to nobody, the left flank totally vacated, and the ball bounces apologetically out for a goal kick. High amusement in the crowd. “At the beginning of this season, like the last few seasons, if City had bossed possession in the first half without creating much of note, I’d’ve confidently predicted they’d turn it on and score a couple in the second half,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Now, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Forest win comfortably. It’s so odd when a team’s aura evaporates like dew on a warm morning.”
47 min: Doku attempts to make some space down the right but can’t get any change out of Williams and Anderson. Forest counter through Elanga down the left. Elanga crosses deep. Dominguez, coming in from the right, meets it on the volley and screeches a shot towards the top-right corner. Ederson reads the situation and claims confidently. Great play all round.
City get the second half started. No changes.
Updated
Half-time entertainment. Including number one: will City make possession count? They had 69 percent of it during the first half, so the answer is a resounding: not yet, no.
HALF TIME: Nottingham Forest 0-0 Manchester City
Nothing happens in bonus time, and the teams trudge back down the tunnel with the deadlock signally unbroken. Put it this way: we haven’t seen much of Chris Wood or Erling Haaland.
Updated
45 min: Nunes goes down requiring a little treatment. He’s good to continue for now, though. There will be two additional first-half minutes.
43 min: Elanga finds some space down the left but upon reaching the byline is unable to cut back for Anderson. City clear. Forest come back at them, Wood chasing a long punt down the inside-left channel before attempting to float a chip across and over Ederson. Easy for the keeper. On TNT Sports, Ally McCoist suggests Wood should have just put his foot through it. Super Ally scored 424 career goals and should be listened to.
42 min: Doku jinks in from the left, swanning past Aina before taking aim for the bottom-left corner. He doesn’t catch it well, and it’s an easy gather for Sels.
Updated
40 min: Hudson-Odoi barrels into the City box from the left. He goes over, but without any City help. Anderson then wins a 50-50 with Foden, only to catch his man on the follow-through. Foden not happy, but once again the referee waves play on. Finally Hudson-Odoi cuts back for Gibbs-White, in space on the edge of the D. The pass isn’t great, and Gibbs-White slices it harmlessly wide, many yards left of the goal. All of which got the crowd going, if nothing else.
38 min: Savinho embarks on another baroque run down the right. Too intricate this time. He’s got Haaland waiting in the middle, but one touch too many takes the ball out for a goal kick.
36 min: Now Foden pops up on the right, but can’t get the better of Anderson. City are staying patient.
34 min: Foden dances down the left and cuts back for Silva, who larrups a wild first-time shot over the bar from the edge of the D.
33 min: Dominguez robs Gonzales, 35 yards out. The City midfielder responds by barging into his opponent, who was preparing to advance on the box, from behind. A no-brainer booking, and a free kick. Everyone lines up on the edge of the City area. Murillo swings it towards the far post. Gibbs-White can’t meet it. The ball goes out for a goal kick … though it might have taken a nick off Gvardiol. Forest aren’t getting the corner, though. Gibbs-White far from pleased.
31 min: Doku nearly burns Aina for pace down the left. Not quite. Aina does well to stick by his man. City remain on the front foot, though, Gvardiol advancing down the left channel before cutting back for Foden, who aims towards the bottom left. Anderson and Gibbs-White combine to block. Having said that: not sure the shot was going in. But take no chances.
29 min: Doku rolls a pass down the left to release Foden into the box. Foden instantly crosses low, but can’t find Haaland. Forest clear their lines without fuss. The Dominguez post-bothering shot apart, the home side have done a good job of keeping the champions at arm’s length. So far.
27 min: Gibbs-White is booked for hauling back the in-flight Doku. The referee thought about it, before deciding he had no option.
26 min: Elanga finds Aina in acres down the right. The City Ground roars in anticipation, only for Aina to slap his cross straight into the nearest man Gvardiol. Forest’s final ball has been lacking.
25 min: Savinho glides down the right at warp speed. He’s great fun to watch. His cross is blocked, however. He cuts back for Gonzalez, whose shot this time isn’t so creamy. High into the stand it goes.
23 min: City have enjoyed 62 percent of possession so far. “Does anybody know what is the story with Foden’s perma-bandaged fingers on his right hand?” asks Jeremy Boyce. “Is it to stop him getting into gesture difficulties with referees, and opposition supporters taking the [word redacted by Family Website editor]?”
21 min: Gonzalez skittles Anderson on the halfway line. Free kick. Everyone lines up on the edge of the City box. Murillo to take from the right. He surprises everyone by slipping a pass down the right for Elanga, who lays off to Aina. The full back should return the pass, slipping Elanga into the box, but doesn’t spot the pass. Big opportunity missed.
19 min: Doku has the chance to release Nunes down the left, but Aina anticipates the pass brilliantly to intercept.
17 min: This game has a nice feel to it, with both sides committing to attack. This doesn’t look like a game destined to end goalless.
15 min: Gibbs-White one-twos his way down the left, a fine move that nearly comes off. The ball pings away for a throw, from which Elanga splits the City defence with a pass down the left channel. Wood, on his own in the box, can’t control, but it makes no difference as replays show he was clearly offside. Some neat play by Forest nonetheless.
14 min: A pocket of space for Gonzalez, in a central position, 30 yards out. He needs no further invitation, battering a pearler towards the top-left corner. The ball pings off the outside of the post. Again, Sels might not have got to that. The sweetest of strikes. Gonzalez pulls the “wow” face. He knows how good that effort was, and how close he came to scoring a peach.
12 min: The sun is out. Nuno, caring not a jot, is still wearing his big coat. Pep sports more season-appropriate sweater and trackie bottoms.
10 min: Savinho crosses from the right. Aina flicks a header away. Doku can’t successfully keep the attack alive on the other flank. City beginning to impose themselves now. Forest are used to sitting deep and soaking things up.
Updated
9 min: City slip into effortless passing/possession mode. It’s like they’ve never been away.
7 min: Savinho dribbles purposefully down the right again. His cross is deflected out for a corner … but no, because Williams manages to stop it going out. He only half clears, allowing Haaland the opportunity to scuff a low drive inches past the left-hand post. Not sure Sels was getting to that, had it found the bottom corner.
5 min: Elanga dribbles in from the right and attempts a cross. It hits Gvardiol. A huge cry for hand-ball, but the ball hit the defender on the shoulder, so there’s no way a penalty will be awarded. We play on. Decent run by Elanga, mind.
4 min: A picture of Stuart Pearce pops up on the big screen. Underneath it: “Get well soon, Stuart.” All four corners of the City Ground burst into the warmest applause, then a chorus of “Psycho! Psycho!” A lovely moment.
2 min: Nunes clanks a careless backpass out of play to gift Forest the first corner of the game. Khusanov wasn’t expecting it. Elanga swings it in from the left but fails to beat the first man. Nunes breathes a sigh of relief.
1 min: Savinho drops a shoulder to gain good ground down the right touchline, and is checked by the hanging leg of Williams. That’s surely a booking later in the game; the referee lets it slide with 40-odd seconds on the clock.
Forest get the ball rolling. An act greeted by a rare old racket! The fans unveil a banner: “Our time has come again, we’ll give it everything.” Let’s see, then.
The teams are out! Forest in red, City in second-choice neon yellow and black. A typically fine City Ground atmosphere on a lovely spring day in Nottingham, not a single wisp of mist rolling in from the Trent. Nevertheless, take it away, Macca.
Pep Guardiola speaks to TNT. “When there are 11 games left and you [Forest] are third, it’s because you’ve done many good things … home and away … their quality up front … speed …. physicality … a top side … everyone has to support defensively for each other … of course we want to be in the Champions League next season … but we have good contenders … Liverpool was not in it and look at them now … we are going to try, yes, until the last second … this club have not been used to be in this position for one, two, three decades … for the last ten or 11 years we are there … so of course we want to do it next season.”
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 28 | 40 | 67 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 27 | 28 | 54 |
| 3 | Nottm Forest | 27 | 11 | 48 |
| 4 | Man City | 27 | 16 | 47 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 27 | 16 | 46 |
Stuart Pearce is a bona-fide Forest legend, as well as a popular former City player and manager. Some good news to report after his health scare on a flight from Vegas: he’s recovering in hospital in Canada. Here’s to a full and speedy recovery.
More on Dibblegate. “I wondered if you might be interested in my new blog out looking back at Gary Crosby’s goal?” asks friend of the site Steve Pye. Sure would! Here it is, courtesy of That 1980s Sports Blog. “I’m sure if this kind of incident happened today then there would be a very measured response from everyone on social media.”
The Crosby-Dibble affair: a reappraisal. “Thing is with that Gary Crosby goal,” begins Bill Hargreaves, “if Andy Dibble had been less concerned with appealing to the ref, I think there’s a good chance he could have got across to dive on that ball. Ah, the morals to the stories.” Ian Copestake adds: “Mr Dibble missed a trick not immediately going down holding his face.”
All of which would have robbed us of a genuinely iconic happening, with each frame of the film timed to comic perfection. It can’t be bettered, and there’s added poignancy in Dibble’s reaction, which faithfully follows the rules of the five stages of grief. Denial: the shocked, disbelieving look on his coupon as Crosby tips the ball off the platform of his palm. Anger and bargaining: haring after the referee in the affronted style, with the express intention of debating the Laws of the Game. Depression and acceptance: the immediate deceleration of his run as the reality of the situation overwhelms him, and he realises he’s not got a leg to stand on, looking around impotently for a cavalry that will never arrive. Poor Dibble. But don’t let it define his career: he’ll always have his sensational performance in Luton’s 1988 League Cup final win over Arsenal. He’ll always have Wembley. Poor Nigel Winterburn.
Nuno Espírito Santo talks to TNT Sports. “We showed what we are as a team [against Arsenal] … we were solid … compact … a threat … we sometimes adapt to a different shape … but we play better as a four [at the back] … unity … it was tough [when Forest lost 3-0 at the Etihad in December] … we did not perform so well … they are an amazing team … we are in a good place … we have done nothing yet … a lot of hard work is in front of us … the City Ground has been fantastic for us … you will see in a while the noise they make.”
Forest name the same starting XI that secured a goalless draw with Arsenal in their last Premier League match. Manchester City are similarly stable, making just two changes after their 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur: Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva come in for Omar Marmoush and Mateo Kovacic.
The teams
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Dominguez, Anderson, Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Wood.
Subs: Hennessey, Morato, Sangare, Awoniyi, Alex, Jota Silva, Yates, Danilo, Boly.
Manchester City: Ederson, Matheus Luiz, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, Gonzalez, Silva, Savio, Foden, Doku, Haaland.
Subs: Ortega, Marmoush, Kovacic, Grealish, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Vitor Reis, O’Reilly, Lewis.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire).
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Preamble
To fans of a certain vintage, this particular fixture means one thing above all else. Rear-view mirror, Andy, rear-view mirror!
Anything today as cheeky, saucy, controversial and/or flat-out hilarious as Gary Crosby’s famous March 1990 winner, and we’ll be doing just grand. Keep ‘em peeled, everyone. Kick-off is at 12.30pm GMT. It’s behind you! on!
