Manchester City vs. Nottingham Forest player ratings: Erling Haaland returns to form as assist king Kevin De Bruyne leads the rusty champions to a crucial victory in the championship race

Although they rarely had to, Manchester City was forced to win ugly against a fierce Nottingham Forest team that played as like everything was against them.

And with a little assistance from Josko Gvardiol, their always dependable combination of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland helped them secure the three points they eventually sought.

Even though Pep Guardiola’s team wasn’t at their best, they managed to score the most points because of their reliable playmaker and their top scorer who was back.

In their first home game since their shocking social media remarks, Forest came out swinging and really put City under pressure in the opening half.

Josko Gvardiol scored City’s first goal of the month with a header after De Bruyne’s excellent corner kick. Despite their struggles, City was relieved by some of their hosts’ careless play in the final third.

Chris Wood and Murillo both wasted clear opportunities to tie the score before halftime, and Forest kept posing threats to City in the second half.

However, Haaland did what he does best when he came off the bench following his absence from the trip to Brighton, seizing a De Bruyne pass and shooting into the bottom corner.

City is where they want to be despite Arsenal’s pressure, secure in the knowledge that if they win their remaining games, they will win the Premier League for the fourth time in their history. And only a fool would wager on them achieving just that, having demonstrated that they know how to win even when they are far from their best.

The Man City players are ranked by GOAL from the City Ground below.

Defense & Goalkeeper

Ederson (4/10):

Suffered a knock to the shoulder early on and spent the remainder of the first half circling around. Prudently taken off during the break.

Kyle Walker (rated 4/10):

Run ragged down his side by Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina, the twin threats.

Nathan Ake (Rank: 6/10):

Make effective use of his physical qualities and pay careful attention to Chris Wood.

Midfield

Kevin De Bruyne (7/10):

Despite missing half of the season due to injury, set up both goals to bring his season total of assists to 15. Exploited their amazing understanding to give Haaland the precise pass.

Rodri (6/10):

kept things together in the second half even if he wasn’t as dominant as usual.

Bernardo Silva (6/10):

Though unable to perform his typical magic, he made a strong effort to make sure City maintained their lead.

Attack

Jeremy Doku (5/10):

Returned to the starting lineup following a run of strong performances as a substitute, but at halftime, after getting dispossessed twice and missing the target twice, he was a bit wasteful and hooked.

Julian Alvarez: 6 out of 10

Put in a great deal of effort, had movement, but lacked the final touch.

Jack Grealish (5 out of 10):

Not as creative or able to exercise as much control as he typically does.

Manager and the Subs

Stefan Ortega (6/10):
Dominated his box more than Ederson did, and he did a good job of tipping over the one risky shot he encountered.

Mateo Kovacic (6 out of 10):

After replacing Doku, gave City greater equilibrium.

Erling Haaland: 7 out of 10

Wrapped up the points with a score during his brief absence. Is there more to ask for?

Nunes Matheus (N/A):

started in the eighty-ninth minute.

Oscar Bobb (n/a):

started in the eighty-ninth minute.

Guardiola, Pep (6/10):

Despite being one of the worst first halves of the season, it was acceptable given that Dias and Foden were out, and Haaland’s introduction finally sealed the victory.