Another star performance from the incomparable Erling Haaland helped Manchester City to three more crucial Premier League points at the Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland scored a first-half hat-trick, the lighter-hearted sequel to his treble in the second half against Crystal Palace last weekend.
A Joao Cancelo screamer kept the party going after the break, before Julian Alvarez bagged his first and second Premier League goals to complete the rout.
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The win meant Manchester City are still only two points behind league leaders Arsenal, who beat Aston Villa to remain at the summit, while enjoying a considerably better goal difference than any other side around them.
Here’s how we rated the players from the 6-0 home win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night!
Starting XI
Ederson - 6
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Had very little to do but, other than a few shaky moments, managed everything asked of him.
Kyle Walker - 6
Looked far more comfortable back in a wider role, which should come as no surprise.
Ruben Dias - 6
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Almost no issues dealing with the visitors in another great outing for the Dias-Stones partnership.
John Stones - 7
Magnificent from start to finish, easily repelling Nottingham Forest’s forwards and assisting Erling Haaland’s third. Blameless for his offside goal, since he couldn’t have foreseen Haaland getting a flick on.
Joao Cancelo - 8
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Had some frustrating moments in the first half but totally made up for them with an absolute belter of a goal. He also played a lovely ball in the build-up to Erling Haaland’s third.
Rodri - 7
Effortlessly controlled the match from midfield, using the space he was given to dictate the tempo.
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Ilkay Gundogan - 7
Another hard-working outing for the German who, despite not getting on the scoresheet this time, was exciting and positive throughout.
Bernardo Silva - 8.5
Wonderful to watch yet again, with his assist for Joao Cancelo typifying the brilliance with which he cut in from the right wing over and over again. Bernardo Silva has streaks of form where he’s simply one of the best players in the world and we’re watching one of them.
Phil Foden - 8
Definitely back to his best now, and the memes about Foden not passing to Erling Haaland are a distant memory. He assisted the opener with an incisive ball forward and was heavily involved in the second goal. Unlike some of the slightly off performances a few weeks ago, Phil Foden was constantly involved and the ball rarely got away from him.
Julian Alvarez - 9
Brilliant, like the entire starting attack. His liveliness is reminiscent of Gabriel Jesus but you get the sense that they’re entirely different players on a technical level. When he went one-on-one with the ‘keeper after the break, you just knew he’d score, and it was a very cool finish to open his Premier League account. That second goal was technically much more difficult, too, and he made it look fairly easy. Unlucky not to get an assist towards the end.
Erling Haaland - 9.5 (Man of the Match)
A masterclass in striker play from Haaland, who’s rewriting the misconceptions about Pep Guardiola needing his strikers to pass a lot. The first goal was a testament to his strength, the second made by his smart ball to Phil Foden and the third made possible by his presence in the box and sheer stature. He’s essentially altering the way we view goalscoring in the Premier League and I can’t wait to see him start again.
Substitutes:
Riyad Mahrez - 6
Created the Julian Alvarez goal with a really lovely touch and pass, but will be kicking himself for missing what should’ve been an easy one later on.
Cole Palmer - 6
Lively and positive, with some glimpses of the technical ability that has persuaded Pep Guardiola to keep him around.
Kevin De Bruyne - 6
You have to laugh when KDB comes off the bench at 5-0 up. He instantly asserted himself, getting involved in plenty of counter-attacks, including eventually Julian Alvarez’ ssecond. Unlucky not to score.
Sergio Gomez - 6
Looks right at home and clearly a good purchase. There were a few times where he came close to creating a goal, though he does his creating in a very different way to Joao Cancelo.
Rico Lewis - 6
Good to see some more minutes for the youngster, who Pep Guardiola clearly rates highly.
Topics: Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Premier League, Football
Nathan Allen