Femi Solaja
Super Eagles wingback, Ola Aina, did much of the pressing for the hosts Nottingham Forest in a bid to get the much needed equaliser but it was Erling Haaland who celebrated his return with an insurance second goal that sealed 2-0 victory for title-chasing Manchester City.
The AFCON 2023 silver medal winner with Nigeria was visibly disappointed at the final whistle but Forest’s goalkeeper, Matz Sels, was seen consoling Aina and hoping for a better result as the season hits final homestretch.
The Norwegian striker missed two games through injury but came off the bench in the 62nd minute at the City Ground. He slotted into the left corner nine minutes later to wrap up the points and keep City a point behind Arsenal, the Premier League front-runners, who won at Tottenham earlier on Sunday.
City went ahead 32 minutes as Josko Gvardiol scored with a powerful near-post header from Kevin de Bruyne’s inswinging corner.
That came while Forest’s Neco Williams was off the pitch receiving treatment for an injury, which subsequently forced his substitution.
Pep Guardiola’s City have a game in hand and may leapfrog Arsenal if they win. City may still need to win all of their remaining games between now and the end of the season to secure a record fourth consecutive Premier League title.
