PLAYER RATINGS: Kevin De Bruyne stepped up for Man City when it counted and Josko Gvardiol was key on both sides – but which Forest player only scored 4.5 after the horror show?

Manchester City ensured they remain slim favorites to retain their Premier League crown after beating Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

The return of Erling Haaland calmed City’s second-half nerves shortly after he was brought on as a substitute and put the champions just one point behind Arsenal.

It was far from easy for Pep Guardiola’s men before the break, with Chris Wood missing several golden openings and Callum Hudson-Odoi shooting wide.

City, however, took the lead just after the half-hour mark after Josko Gvardiol powered a header home from a corner – and Haaland then sealed the victory.

Here, Sports MailTOM COLLOMOSSE noted the players…

Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 to continue their quest for the Premier League title

Erling Haaland was brought on as a substitute and wrapped up the victory with a deft finish

MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1)

EDERSON 5.5

I was lucky that his uncertainty on a Gibbs-White corner didn’t lead to a goal, as Murillo hit the bar. Appeared seriously injured in an earlier collision with Boly and did not reappear in the second half.

Ederson was shaky at times and did not reappear in the second half after suffering a knock.

KYLE WALKER 6.5

No protection from Doku meant that he often had to face both Aina and Hudson-Odoi. The England defender didn’t look as secure as usual, but his experience saw him through – despite a few nervous moments.

AKANJI MANUAL 6

Wood is a tricky opponent for any centre-back and Akanji had a difficult time against Forest’s No.11. Fortunately for the City defender, Wood’s radar was off.

NATHAN AKE 7

Showed his tremendous recovery pace to catch Anthony Elanga and deny him a shooting opportunity, even though the offside flag was raised. He looked the most comfortable of City’s central defensive duo.

JOSKO GVARDIOL 7

Not always precise with the ball but decisive on both sides of the pitch, scoring the first goal then clearing the line to prevent Wood from equalizing for Forest at the start of the second half.

Josko Gvardiol was decisive on both ends of the pitch and scored City’s first goal of the match.

RODRI 6.5

Sometimes troubled by Gibbs-White’s imagination and like the majority of his teammates, he knows how to play much better. The worry for Arsenal is that City still managed to win comfortably despite their poor form.

Jérémy DOKU 5

His inability to track Aina’s runs often left Walker with two men to score and his poor challenge on the Nigerian gave Forest a dangerous free-kick. Add to that his lack of bite in attack and it’s no surprise that the Belgian didn’t reappear in the second half.

KEVIN DE BRUYNE 7

On the periphery for much of the match – but then his corner opened Gvardiol’s scoring and he released Haaland for the second. A top player who makes it count when it counts – just like his team.

Kevin De Bruyne was initially on the periphery before scoring both City goals

BERNARDO SILVA 6

He dropped deep to try and get City moving, but was not at his usual best and his close control was strangely sloppy. Against a better team, his day off could have proven costly for his team.

JACK GREALISH 5.5

For the love of God, stay up! He kept the ball well when City had it but his insistence on throwing himself to the ground at the slightest touch is tedious to watch. Replaced after an hour by Erling Haaland.

Jack Grealish’s insistence on throwing himself to the ground is tedious to watch

JULIEN ALVAREZ 6

Starting as City’s most advanced striker, he attempted to link up with his attacking midfielders, but very little worked for him. Ran onto a through ball from De Bruyne to shoot high and wide with Haaland hiding in the middle.

Submarines: Ortega (for Ederson 46, 6.5), Carson, Stones, Kovacic (for Doku 46, 6.5), Haaland (for Grealish 62, 7), Gomez, Nunes (for De Bruyne 89), Bobb (for Alvarez 89 ), Lewis

Scorers: Gvardiol 32, Haaland 71

Director: Pep Guardiola 6.5

NOTTINGHAM FOREST (3-4-3)

MATZ SALTS 6

The Forest keeper made a very good save from Kevin De Bruyne early on and was rarely tested in the first half – but he was caught out at his near post when Josko Gvardiol was allowed to run free and heading home from Kevin De Bruyne’s corner.

WILLY BOLY 8

Returning to the team for the first time since March 16, Boly has been excellent on the right side of a defensive trio. His anticipation was excellent, stepping in twice to rob Bernardo Silva in the opening minutes and racing through the first half thereafter. Forest need to keep him fit now.

Willy Boly was excellent on the right of the back three and his anticipation caught the eye

MURILLO 6

A lapse in concentration allowed Gvardiol to sneak past him to open the scoring, then Erling Haaland passed him for the second. He was close to an equalizer when his acrobatic effort hit the bar in the dying moments of the first half.

MOUSSA NIAKHATE 6.5

Gave away a dangerous free-kick with a poorly timed challenge on Jeremy Doku in the first half, but generally combined well with Aina to keep City at bay.

NECO WILLIAMS 7

Immediately lively going forward, forcing Ederson into a smart save and largely keeping Grealish quiet the other way. Injured against Grealish just before the first goal, his exit in the first half was a big blow for Forest.

MORGAN GIBBS-WHITE 7

Playing a deeper role, the Forest captain tried to dictate the game and struggled against Rodri from the start. But he quickly integrated into the game and was at the heart of his team’s best moves, even though he should have stopped Gvardiol from running away from him so easily in the first game.

Morgan Gibbs-White took on a deeper role and he ultimately grew into the competition

DANILO 6

After a sloppy start, the Brazilian found his rhythm alongside Gibbs-White in a new central pairing and began to ask more questions early in the second half.

OLA AINA 7.5

Few players beat Kyle Walker for pace, but Aina did so early in the second half and it symbolized an excellent performance from the former Chelsea player, who benefited hugely from Nuno’s decision to change the system .

CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI 6

Unlike Aina, he doesn’t have the speed to test Walker and so the England defender was happy to show him the line. I could have contributed more.

Callum Hudson-0doi didn’t have the speed to test Kyle Walker and could have done more

CHRIS WOOD 4.5

That’s now a huge four wasted chances in games against Tottenham, Everton and City. Both were poor: a kicking error in front of an open goal and a weak effort that allowed Gvardiol to clear the goal line.

Chris Wood missed two big chances against City, including a kicking error in front of an open goal

ANTHONY ÉLANGA 6

Forest were unable to get the winger into the game before the break as Gvardiol had the upper hand, but he sneaked past Walker to set up Wood for his second glaring miss.

Submarines: Turner, Sangare (for Boly 85.6), Toffolo, Reyna (for Elanga 74.6), Yates (for Danilo 74.6), Origi, Montiel (for Williams 35.6), Omobamidele (for Murillo 74.6) , Ribeiro

Director: Nuno Holy Spirit 6

Arbitrator: Simon Hooper7