Man City player ratings vs Nottingham Forest as Kyle Walker and Phil Foden excellent

Manchester City survived a self-inflicted scare by beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 in the Premier League and made it six straight wins in the competition.

Manchester City survived Rodri’s moment of madness to make it six wins from six Premier League games by beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the Etihad.

City looked to be flying high, taking a two-goal lead within 15 minutes. Phil Foden broke the deadlock after excellent play from Rodri and Kyle Walker, before Erling Haaland headed in the second after Matheus Nunes’ cross.

But the game changed when Rodri was sent off seconds after the restart, losing control as he pushed Morgan Gibbs-White’s throat.This left the Blues in a difficult position and they trailed for much of the second half as Forest made a brave attempt to get back into the game, but Pep Guardiola’s side held firm.

Ederson

Almost lost his head when squaring up to Awoniyi, but was off his line well in the first half to deny the striker a clear run on goal. 7

Walker

Excellent run and lay-off for the opening goal and his wide positioning baffled Tavares while he was on the pitch. Worked hard to remain an outlet when City were down to 10. 8

Akanji

An excellent second-half block on Gibbs-White, the villain of the piece for those inside the Etihad, and was unfortunate to be booked before the break. Solid. 8

Dias

Got a telling-off from Guardiola late in the first half but defended well when City were down to 10. Handled Awoniyi pretty well. 7

Gvardiol

Loose with the ball a couple of times in the first half but stood strong after the break, moving infield as more of a natural centre-back after Rodri’s sending off. 7

Rodri

Dominant in the first half and played a stunning pass to create the first goal, but his moment of madness early in the second half could prove very costly. 5

Nunes

Twice involved in Haaland’s goal, intercepting a counter-attack and then sprinting forward to provide a good assist. Comfortable on the ball in tight areas. 8

Foden

Took his goal brilliantly and Forest couldn’t get a handle on his positioning in the first half. Felt telling he stayed on as Guardiola went defensive after Rodri’s red card and he was a threat on the counter. 8

Alvarez

Should have scored in the first half but his positioning was a threat to the Forest defence. Was an obvious player to be subbed when Rodri lost his head. 7

Doku

A lively presence again down the left. Nearly created a goal for Alvarez with one mazy run, involved in the first and Forest resorted to kicking him. 7

Haaland

Took his goal well but wasn’t really involved much aside from that. Plouged a very lone furrow in the second half after City had been reduced to 10. 7

Substitutes

Phillips

Felt like a big 45 minutes or so for him given the absence of Rodri for three games, including Arsenal away. Worked hard and managed to keep the space closed, especially around the dangerous Gibbs-White. 7

Ake

Came on as a reaction to Forest introducing Elanga and Hudson-Odoi. Kept a tight leash on the former down the Forest right and can be relied on in these situations. 7

Grealish

A late substitute to replace Foden. N/A

Not used: Ortega, Carson, Lewis, Gomez, Bobb