Cherki’s Magic Late Show: Manchester City Edge Resilient Nottingham Forest
In a gritty end-of-year battle at the City Ground, Manchester City secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, December 27, 2025. A late strike from summer signing Rayan Cherki proved to be the difference, keeping Pep Guardiola’s side firmly in the hunt for the Premier League title.
The win extends City’s winning streak in all competitions to eight matches, a perfect response to the heavy festive schedule.
Match Summary: A Tale of Two Halves
The first half was a cagey affair, with Sean Dyche’s Forest setup proving difficult to penetrate. The hosts nearly stunned the champions in the opening ten minutes when Callum Hudson-Odoi delivered a dangerous cross that just evaded the sliding Morgan Gibbs-White.
However, the game exploded into life immediately after the interval:
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48th Minute: Rayan Cherki showcased his vision, sliding a perfectly weighted pass to Tijjani Reijnders, who finished clinically under Forest keeper John Victor to make it 1-0.
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54th Minute: Forest refused to crumble. Igor Jesus displayed immense strength to hold off Ruben Dias before crossing for Omari Hutchinson, who fired home his first goal for the club to level the scores.
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83rd Minute: With the game heading for a draw, City’s set-piece coach James French saw his planning pay off. A Phil Foden corner was headed back across the goal by Josko Gvardiol, and Cherki was there to drill a low volley through a sea of legs and into the bottom corner.
Key Match Stats
Despite Forest’s brave performance, City’s quality in the final third eventually told. The visitors dominated the ball, but Forest’s physical approach—led by the tireless Igor Jesus—made it one of City’s toughest tests of the season.
| Metric | Nottingham Forest | Manchester City |
| Score | 1 | 2 |
| Possession | 36% | 64% |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 6 |
| Yellow Cards | 1 (Anderson) | 2 (Dias, O’Reilly) |
Star Man: Rayan Cherki
The young Frenchman has quickly become a fan favorite in Manchester. By providing the assist for the opener and scoring the winner, Cherki now has 8 goal involvements since the start of November.
“Winter time, at Nottingham Forest, you have to be ready to fight,” Pep Guardiola remarked after the game. “If we are not ready for the physicality, we do not win. Rayan showed that today—it’s a massive three points.”
Looking Ahead
Manchester City temporarily moved to the top of the table with this win, putting pressure on Arsenal ahead of their late kickoff. City will look to maintain their momentum as they travel to face Sunderland on New Year’s Day, while Nottingham Forest, currently sitting 17th, prepare for a crucial home clash against Everton.