After a painful lunchtime in Nottingham, maybe Pep Guardiola may have wondered after Jack Grealish’s leadership, leading M1 for a night at North Biddick Social Club.
Manchester City manager has said that “it will not be the end of the world” if City does not qualify for the Champions League next season. However, to reach the main competition of the European Club, it would become the world of Forest upside down the most wonderful way.
Callum Hudson Odoi’s late attack took the third place Forest four points in front of the city and the celebrations that followed the final whistle have not been seen here since May 2023.
That’s when Forest won Arsenal to ensure Premier League’s survival with a spare game. Instead of avoiding meetings with Swansea and Plymouth, Forest is now thinking of crossing swords with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. What time to enjoy for the 1979 and 1980 heroes, when Forest won consecutive European cups.
A week after his night in the Northeast, Grealish did not leave the bank here, but if he did, he would have made little difference. Guardiola was a stirring study in the touch line, sinking to his knees when Morgan Gibbs-White handed over what would prove the winning pass to Hudson-Odoi.
As much as he can, Guardiola simply cannot rediscover the magic that led his team to triple and the city, took only one point of 24 24 against teams that started the weekend in the top four.
Nottingham Forest won Manchester City to increase his hopes in the Champions League
Callum Hudson-Odoi broke the late winner within Ederson’s Near Post to trigger wild scenes
Champions City had his last blow in his attempt to end in the top four this season
“We have to win many games to qualify for the Champions League,” said Guardiola. ‘To find a way to play better. It does not come from heaven.
Instead, is Nuno Espirito Santo, a coach discarded by many after his disastrous spell at Tottenham in 2021, who is making a persuasive case to be appointed manager of the year.
Nuno got everything right here. His defenders, Hello Aina and Neco Williams, closed Savinho and Jeremy Doku so effectively that Guardiola exchanged their wide men for the second half. They were no longer successful after the break, and Savinho was hooked at the remaining 20 minutes.
Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic took care of Erling Haaland and the middle axis of Nicolas Dominguez and Elliot Anderson did the same with Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva. Just as they drew in Arsenal last month, Forest contained a city for more than an hour and, realizing that they had nothing to fear, dared to dream.
With seven minutes remaining, Aina won a tackle with the replacement Omar Maroussh, within half of the forest. Soon Gibbs-White had hammered the ball 50 meters from left to right, at Hudson-Odoi’s foot.
Hudson-Odoi slid to the box and, with Josko Gvardiol reluctant to challenge, beat Ederson at his nearby post. Perhaps the Brazilian’s view was obscured by his teammate, but it was still a defense he should have made. Who cares about 31 % inauguration when the forest uses it with such efficiency?
Previously, Ederson seemed to have rescued a point for City when he turned Hudson-Odoi’s kick on the pole. The way Hudson-Dodoi did a mild job of city advocates, so it was a clear warning that they would later stop paying attention.
“We showed a big improvement in last season, but now is to enjoy the moment,” said Nuno. ‘We continue on this journey.
City fought to create and was undone by the excellent pass by Morgan Gibbs-White
Gibbs-White forced an excellent stop from Ederson while the forest sculps the best chances
Nico Gonzalez pulled the trigger from outside the box, but failed to hit the back of the network
Kevin de Bruyne’s effort closely forced Murillo’s brave blockade
Mats Selz collected an aerial ball, despite Erling Haaland’s jump in the air
Forest moved four points ahead of the city with his dream of the Champions League approaching
Guardiola insisted that the city lost the first four, ‘it would not be the end of the world’
‘The fans are everything. The city terrain has been beautiful for us. There is a bond, a confidence. They are behind and Callum’s goal is also part of them. We are proud and happy. ‘
Even with Foden restored to the early XI, City controlled the ball without controlling the game. They created little in the first half as Forest – as their habit has been throughout the season – he sat deeply and kept his opponents at a distance.
There was applause and singing for Stuart Pearce, who was receiving hospital treatment on Saturday after being sick on a transatlantic flight. The forest fans recognized their ex -captain in the third minute – the shirt number he wore during his time on the city floor.
For an hour, none of the sides could increase the pressure and Guardiola could not settle. He raised his arms in despair when Dominguez ran a pass through the midfield and sent Gibbs-White running toward the goal.
Then Forest came to a mustache to move forward. Neither Abdukodir Khusanov nor Substitute Rico Lewis could prevent Hudson-Odoi from cut his right foot and the ball seemed to be destined to the lower corner when Ederson stuck his left hand and made enough contact to ensure the ball was the pole instead of the net. After a very quiet game, Forest Matz Sels goalkeeper saved Kevin from Bruyne Free-Kick and was not long before Hudson-Odoi found the advance.
Gibbs-White was relieved in the first minute of the stop time, when his attempt at break fell straight to Mateo Kovacic and the volleyball of the width sub-bigoda. In the end, the fireworks were leaving outside the ground and Gibbs-White and their teammates were dancing as if it were 1979. Imagine how they will qualify.
