Manchester City fell two factors behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after being held to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Arsenal left it very late to beat Aston Villa 4-2 earlier on Saturday and climbed again to the highest of the standings, placing strain on City to earn victory at Forest, with the guests beginning the encounter at a blistering tempo.
City dominated possession and deservedly took the lead 4 minutes earlier than the break with Bernardo Silva slamming the ball into the online from the sting of the field.
The guests ought to have doubled their benefit halfway via the second half however the normally deadly Erling Haaland hit the crossbar from shut vary earlier than blazing the rebound excessive.
That miss proved pivotal as, out of nowhere, Forest’s January signing Chris Wood tapped dwelling on the far put up to stage six minutes from time and carry the roof off a moist City Ground.
The champions threw all the things at Forest looking for a dramatic late winner however they may not break the hosts’ resistance, leaving City two factors behind Arsenal having performed one sport extra. Forest climbed to thirteenth.
City beat Arsenal on the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to pull themselves again to the highest of the standings after having trailed the Londoners for a lot of the season.
Victory over Forest, whom they beat 6-0 within the reverse fixture earlier within the season, was anticipated, with the one draw back in a formidable first-half show being that City have been unable to attain greater than as soon as to make their dominance depend.
Haaland, eyeing a thirty third purpose in all competitions in his outstanding debut season in England, needed to watch for his second, however his wastefulness ended up costing City all three factors.
The Norwegian regarded odds on to seek out the online after his personal effort got here again to him off the crossbar however he bought beneath the rebound effort and put the ball into the stands.
Wood’s first purpose for Forest since becoming a member of from Newcastle United on mortgage couldn’t have been higher timed, incomes his aspect a useful level of their battle to remain within the Premier League and damaging City’s title tilt within the course of.
City did not beat a newly-promoted aspect within the high flight for the primary time since April 2021 once they misplaced to Leeds United — that they had received 9 such video games in a row earlier than Saturday’s draw.
Struggling Southampton seize very important 1-0 win at goal-shy Chelsea
A trademark James Ward-Prowse free kick earned basement membership Southampton a treasured three factors at Chelsea in a scrappy 1-0 Premier League win on Saturday and piled extra strain on dwelling coach Graham Potter.
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta introduced down Stuart Armstrong simply exterior the realm within the forty fifth minute and Ward-Prowse curled a free kick over the wall into the right-hand aspect of the online with goalkeeper Kepa left sprawling.Azpilicueta wanted practically 10 minutes of therapy on the pitch within the second half after he acquired a kick to the pinnacle in a goalmouth conflict. Physios from each golf equipment rushed to his support and the Spaniard was ultimately carried off on a stretcher.
Ward-Prowse mentioned scoring and profitable was an “amazing feeling”.
“The game was obviously overshadowed a bit by the injury to Cesar and we wish our best to him. We hope he is okay.”
Chelsea, who’ve scored solely 4 targets in 10 video games in all competitions because the begin of the yr, regarded livelier within the second half when Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz got here on and so they stored the Southampton defence underneath strain.
Source web site: www.hindustantimes.com
