Manchester City moved to the top of the English Premier League table on Saturday evening after edging Nottingham Forest by two goals to one at the City Ground, with French midfielder Rayan Cherki delivering a decisive late strike.
The match, played on 27 December, saw City continue their strong run with a sixth straight league victory, a result closely followed by football fans in the Kingdom of Eswatini where the Premier League remains one of the most watched competitions.
City struck first through Tijjani Reijnders, with Cherki providing the assist to give Pep Guardiola’s side control early on. Forest responded after the break when Omari Hutchinson scored his first goal for the club in the fifty fourth minute, bringing renewed energy to the home side and lifting the City Ground crowd.
Forest, under the guidance of Sean Dyche, pushed hard for a second goal and created several openings, but City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and the visiting defence stood firm. Phil Foden came close to restoring City’s lead, only to be denied by an impressive save from Forest keeper John Victor.
With the contest finely balanced, Cherki settled matters in the eighty third minute. Following a corner, Josko Gvardiol headed the ball back into a dangerous area, where Cherki struck a low shot into the corner of the net to seal the points for City. The midfielder later said the focus was simple, to win the game and take the points, adding that the season remains long.
The victory briefly sent City to the top of the standings on forty points from eighteen matches, one point ahead of Arsenal, who still had a game in hand. Forest remained seventeenth after suffering back to back defeats, leaving them hovering above the relegation zone.
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