Manchester City maintained their perfect Premier League record this season with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
With goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland, City appeared to be in control at halftime. However, the tide turned dramatically in just 27 seconds.
VAR upheld referee Anthony Taylor’s decision to give Rodri a red card for violent conduct after he put his hands around Morgan Gibbs-White’s throat during a scuffle near the corner flag.
Up until that point, Forest had been thoroughly outplayed by City, who had scored twice in the first 15 minutes by cutting through the Forest defence with dazzling attacks down the right flank.
Foden opened the scoring for City with a fine first-time finish after being set up by Kyle Walker. Later, Haaland scored off a Matheus Nunes cross from the same flank.
However, things changed in the second half, and City had to hunker down to protect their lead, which they did for the most part by keeping Forest at bay.
Orel Mangala scooped a shot over, Taiwo Awoniyi missed from close range, and Ederson stopped Anthony Elanga late on as the visitors’ best chances remained slim.
City manager Pep Guardiola and the home fans continued to vent their frustration with Taylor’s calls in the final minutes, but City held on to make it six wins in a row.
The top four teams all have games on Sunday, but the defending champions already have a five-point lead.
Rodri, a 27-year-old Spain international who has been a mainstay in City’s midfield for the better part of the past four seasons, received his first red card in the Premier League for an act of madness that was completely out of character.
After they collided, Gibbs-White waited before throwing himself to the ground in a dramatic fashion, but Rodri deserved what he got for raising his hands and grabbing him by the neck.
His sending off not only made things more difficult for City on the day, but also for their upcoming matches against Wolves, Arsenal, and Brighton.
His absence will be felt most when playing the Gunners, who gave City a run for the title last year.
Ederson lost his temper and butted heads with Awoniyi after they collided in the box, so City had more than one player lose it against Forest.
Even though City looked to have wrapped up the game early on, the atmosphere inside the Etihad remained tense as Guardiola appeared to be upset with any decision that went against City in the second half.
Before Foden’s goal, Forest had not even put together a pass, and they continued to see very little of the ball for the rest of the first half.
They were given a glimmer of hope by Rodri’s dismissal, but they still struggled to put any real pressure on City despite having an extra man.
Forest’s reluctance to take risks with the ball was understandable given the danger City still posed on the break, but it prevented them from mounting a serious comeback.
They only started pushing men forward in the final minutes, and even then, their best chances came from long range.
After finding some space on the edge of the area, Elanga tried to cut into the deficit with a low, angled first-time shot, but Ederson was up to the task.
Photo by EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
