Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium, ending their six-match winning run. The result leaves City seven points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand and nine matches remaining. Pep Guardiola maintained that the title race remains open.
Manchester City hosted Nottingham Forest in a Premier League match on March 4, 2026, at the Etihad Stadium, aiming to close the gap on leaders Arsenal. City, starting five points behind pre-match with a game in hand, took the lead in the 31st minute through Antoine Semenyo's acrobatic finish after a pass from Rayan Cherki, giving them a 1-0 advantage at halftime.
Forest, fighting relegation under head coach Vitor Pereira, equalized on 56 minutes when Morgan Gibbs-White scored with a backheel from a deep cross by Ola Aina and a header by Igor Jesus. City restored their lead six minutes later as Rodri headed in from a Rayan Ait-Nouri corner, making it 2-1.
However, Elliot Anderson leveled the score in the 76th minute with a low strike into the bottom-right corner after combining with Callum Hudson-Odoi. The game remained tense, with Forest's Ryan Yates heading wide from a corner and City appealing for a penalty after Erling Haaland's involvement, but it was waved away following review.
In stoppage time, Matheus Nunes' effort was blocked on the line by Murillo in the 100th minute, securing the draw for Forest, who sit two points above the relegation zone. The point ends City's nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
Post-match, Guardiola praised his team's performance despite the draw. "If we analyse then in general it was a good performance and there were many good things," he said. "There are still many games to play, them one less." He added on the officials: "Always I believe we have to do it much better to make sure the officials don’t intervene. It’s our responsibility to be better."
City's starting lineup included Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, with Haaland returning from a knock. Forest lined up with Matz Sels in goal.
