September 23, (THEWILL) – Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the new English Premier League season with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, despite being reduced to ten men after Rodri’s dismissal.
The champions were in complete control during the opening half hour, racing into a two-goal lead through Phil Foden and Erling Haaland and enjoying nearly 90% possession against an overwhelmed Forest side. The goal came at the end of an astonishing 46-pass move, the longest passage of play leading to an EPL goal for 17 years. Haaland shrugged off his recent profligacy by clinically finishing another slick interchange down City’s right flank.
However, the complexion of the match was dramatically altered shortly after the interval when Rodri lost his composure and was shown a straight red card for grabbing Morgan Gibbs-White around the neck.
Steve Cooper introduced more attacking options after the break but the visitors struggled to threaten Ederson’s goal as City dropped into an unfamiliar back five for the entirety of the second period. With only ten men, the champions managed just one attempt and enjoyed just 31% possession but ultimately held firm to claim a 20th consecutive home victory.
The win maintains City’s 100% record after six games and leaves them at the EPL summit ahead of the chasing pack of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
