Man City suffer title blow as Elliot Anderson earns Nottingham Forest a point
City led twice but dropped points at home to a side battling relegation.
Manchester City dropped two crucial points in the title race as relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest twice came from behind twice to rescue a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
A header from Rodri just after the hour put City back on course for victory after Morgan Gibbs-White cancelled out Antoine Semenyo’s opener but Elliot Anderson levelled for a second time.
The result meant City fell seven points behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and Forest stayed out of the bottom three, albeit only on goal difference.
City do still have a game in hand on the Gunners but manager Pep Guardiola will rue another game in which his side lost control in the second half.
Forest, meanwhile, are still to win in the league under new manager Vitor Pereira but on this evidence they a fighting chance of survival.
Ryan Yates even went close to grabbing a late winner when he headed narrowly side in stoppage time but Semenyo also had a free-kick turned over and a Savinho shot was blocked on the line.
City initially seemed comfortable but, although Semenyo lashed a shot into the side-netting in the opening minutes, they needed to play patiently against Forest’s well-structured defence.
The chances eventually came and Erling Haaland created one when he intercepted a poor clearance by Matz Sels but Bernardo Silva’s effort was deflected into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Phil Foden sliced an effort wide before shooting straight at Sels.
The pressure paid off as Rayan Cherki drifted into the box and crossed back for Semenyo, who adjusted well to volley past Sels. It was his fifth goal in eight Premier League appearances since his move from Bournemouth.
Forest’s only significant openings before the break saw Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus shoot tamely at Gianluigi Donnarumma and they were fortunate not to fall 2-0 down as Haaland almost turned in a Semenyo cross.
Bernardo Silva forced a good save from Sels early in the second half and Cherki blasted over but City were rocked when Forest struck back after 56 minutes.
It came against the run of play and City briefly switched off as Ola Aina was allowed to break and cross from the right after outpacing Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Jesus nodded down at the back post and Gibbs-White wrong-footed Donnarumma with an instinctive backheel.
The goal charged the atmosphere and City hit back powerfully, reclaiming the lead just after the hour.
For all the talk of Arsenal’s reliance on set-pieces in the title race, it was City who benefited from one on this occasion as Rodri got forward at a corner to bullet home a header from Ait-Nouri’s cross.
Forest claimed Sels was impeded but their complaints fell on deaf ears, leaving them needing to respond again.
That they did 14 minutes from time through the inspirational Anderson, who played a one-two with Callum Hudson-Odoi and then curled a superb finish into the bottom corner from outside the area.
There was drama until the end as Yates went agonisingly close before Sels kept out Semenyo’s free-kick and Savinho was denied in a goalmouth scramble with the last kick of the game.
