Manchester Metropolis twice squandered the lead on the Etihad Stadium. Photograph: AFP
MANCHESTER:
Manchester Metropolis’s bid to win the Premier League title suffered a probably deadly blow in a shock 2-2 draw towards lowly Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola’s facet twice squandered the lead on the Etihad Stadium as objectives from Antoine Semenyo and Rodri have been cancelled out by Morgan Gibbs-White after which Elliot Anderson.
Savinho had a shot cleared off the road by Murillo with the final kick of the sport to compound Metropolis’s frustration.
Their failure to kill off Forest was dangerous sufficient however the information from the south coast was even worse as a 1-0 win for leaders Arsenal at Brighton left the title race out of Metropolis’s management.
Arsenal are actually seven factors away from Metropolis and have the future of the title of their palms as they chase their first English crown since 2004.
Metropolis have a recreation in hand on the Gunners, who go to the Etihad in April however Guardiola will rue one other recreation through which his facet misplaced management within the second half.
Fourth-bottom Forest, in the meantime, are nonetheless to win within the league underneath new supervisor Vitor Pereira however on this proof they’ve a preventing probability of survival.
Metropolis had began brightly and their stress paid off within the thirty first minute.
Rayan Cherki drifted into the field and crossed for Semenyo, who adjusted effectively to volley previous Matz Sels from 10 yards.
It was his fifth aim in eight Premier League appearances since his transfer from Bournemouth.
Bernardo Silva pressured a very good save from Sels early within the second half and Cherki blasted over however Metropolis have been rocked when Forest struck again after 56 minutes.
It got here towards the run of play as Ola Aina was allowed to interrupt and cross from the precise after outpacing Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Igor Jesus nodded down on the again put up and Gibbs-White wrong-footed Metropolis keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with an instinctive backheel.
Metropolis hit again powerfully, reclaiming the lead within the 62nd minute.
For all of the discuss of Arsenal’s reliance on set-pieces within the title race, it was Metropolis who benefited from one on this event as Rodri obtained ahead at a nook to bullet house a header from Ait-Nouri’s cross.
Forest claimed Sels was impeded however their complaints have been ignored.
Nevertheless, Metropolis could not land the knockout blow and so they paid the value within the 76th minute.
Anderson exchanged passes with Callum Hudson-Odoi and curled an outstanding end into the underside nook from outdoors the realm to go away Guardiola surprised.
