Manchester City climbed to the summit of the Premier League after a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, with Rayan Cherki scoring a late winner on Saturday.
The French forward played a central role in Pep Guardiola’s side collecting three points, creating the opening goal for Tijjani Reijnders before settling the contest himself seven minutes from time. Omari Hutchinson had earlier drawn Forest level with his first goal for the club.
The result extended City’s winning run to eight matches in all competitions and six consecutive league victories. They moved one point ahead of Arsenal, who could reclaim top spot with a win over Brighton later in the day.
Before kick-off, Forest held a tribute to former Scotland winger John Robertson, who died on Christmas Day aged 72. Robertson was a key figure in the club’s European Cup successes in 1979 and 1980, and his contribution was marked by the home crowd.
Cherki, who joined City from Lyon in the summer, continues to grow in influence and has become an important figure in Guardiola’s side. His creative spark proved decisive once again as City kept pace in the title race.
Guardiola had warned his players against overindulging during the festive period, insisting that anyone returning out of shape would be left out. He even cancelled a scheduled day off following last weekend’s win over West Ham. After naming an unchanged team, the City manager joked that he was the only one struggling with his weight.
Despite that, City were slow to settle and Forest threatened first on a cold afternoon by the River Trent. Morgan Gibbs-White went close when he failed to connect properly with Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross, as the home side pressed aggressively and disrupted City’s rhythm.
Erling Haaland, who has 19 league goals by Christmas, found little space during a subdued first half. City eventually broke through shortly after the interval with their first effort on target in the 48th minute. Cherki drifted inside and slipped a pass to Reijnders, who finished calmly from 12 yards.
Cherki almost doubled the lead moments later, forcing a sharp save at the near post. Forest responded quickly, however, levelling in the 54th minute after Reijnders lost possession near his own area. Igor Jesus delivered a low cross and Hutchinson finished from close range.
Forest continued to threaten, with Neco Williams’ curling effort pushed away before Nicolo Savona fired over from a promising position as City briefly wobbled.
The decisive moment arrived in the 83rd minute. The ball fell to Cherki just inside the penalty area and he struck a powerful finish past John Victor, then celebrated in front of the travelling supporters to seal a vital win for the champions.
