Pep Guardiola’s team faltered first.
Manchester City took the lead twice against Nottingham Forest but couldn’t hold on, resulting in a loss of crucial points in their pursuit of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
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Meanwhile, Arsenal secured a victory on the south coast, giving them a significant advantage at the top of the table, although City still has a game in hand.
City’s unbeaten streak now stretches to 10 matches across all competitions, but this match could prove pivotal. Despite goals from Antoine Semenyo and Rodri in each half, they struggled to finish strongly against a Forest team that has been lacking form.
Erling Haaland returned to the starting lineup and maneuvered past Matz Sels in the first half, only to send his shot into the side-netting.
The Norwegian sought to replicate a similar chance in the second half and appeared to be caught by goalkeeper Sels, but referee Darren England chose not to award a penalty, and the VAR, overseen by Tony Harrington, upheld that decision.
Phil Foden, a World Cup hopeful for England, was back in the starting eleven, filling in for the injured Nico O’Reilly, but failed to make an impact, extending his goal drought to 17 games.
Captain Bernardo Silva displayed skill as he weaved between two Forest defenders early in the second half, but his low shot destined for the bottom corner was expertly tipped wide by Sels.
During the eight minutes of injury time, Semenyo curled a free-kick just over the bar, and Savinho had an effort cleared off the line by Murillo with the final kick of the match, leaving City frustrated.