Goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland were enough to earn City all three points at the Etihad Stadium and maintain our 100% start to the new campaign.
But we were made to work for our latest triumph, particularly following Rodrigo’s dismissal early in the second half.
Nonetheless, City did enough to make it six wins from six and maintain top spot in the Premier League.
From remarkable passing sequences to another Haaland milestone, discover some of the interesting talking points from the win below…
CITY+ | SIGN UP TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Fantastic Mr. Foden
Phil Foden has started the 2023/24 campaign in brilliant form, and the England international was on hand to open the scoring inside seven minutes.
The midfielder’s clinical half-volley into the near corner of the Forest net rounded off a remarkable 46-pass move from City.
It’s our longest passing sequence leading to a goal on record in the Premier League [since 2006/07], with only Julian Alvarez and Haaland not involved in the move.
The only passing sequence to better Foden’s strike came in August 2014, when Nacer Chadli finished off a 48-pass move for Tottenham against Queens Park Rangers.
Home sweet home
City’s latest victory means we have now won an astonishing 20 consecutive games on home soil in all competitions.
That run spans the entirety of 2023, with Everton the last side to come away from the Etihad Stadium with a result when we drew 1-1 on New Year’s Eve.
We’ve become just the fourth different top-flight side in England to reach 20 unbeaten on home soil, the others being Manchester United in 2011 (20) as well as Preston North End (21) and Sunderland (24), both in 1892.
60 not out for Erling
Haaland’s towering header from Matheus Nunes’ cross doubled City’s advantage inside 15 minutes at the Etihad Stadium and saw the Norwegian reach another significant milestone.
Indeed, the centre-forward has now found the net 60 times for Manchester City since the start of last season.
No other player has reached 50 goals in a big five European league during that timeframe, cementing Haaland’s reputation as one of the game’s most dangerous attacking players.
An astonishing 44 of those strikes have come in the Premier League, with the Norwegian grabbing eight in six appearances so far in 2023/24.
Gvardiol impresses again
Josko Gvardiol’s block to deny Divock Origi with around ten minutes to go at the Etihad summed up the lengths our defenders went to in preserving our clean sheet against Forest.
The Croatian has settled well into life at City and started the game at full-back before moving into a more central role following Rodrigo’s dismissal.
And the 21-year-old played a crucial role in those three points, registering the most touches (93) of any player across the 90 minutes and the third-most passes.
That blend of style and substance was vital to help City grind out the win, and is sure to be just as important across the remainder of the campaign.
