Guardiola Reveals the Secret to City’s 2-1 Triumph Over Nottingham Forest
27 December 2025
Key moments from the City vs Forest clash
Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's boss, said his side earned a hard-fought win against a very strong opponent, Nottingham Forest.
City climbed to the Premier League summit temporarily after a 2-1 victory away at City Ground on Saturday, in the 18th round.
The Dutchman Tijani Reinders fired City ahead in the 48th minute, before Omri Hutchinson leveled for the hosts in the 54th.
But Reinders struck again in the 83rd to restore City’s lead.
Guardiola told BBC after the game that he’d wrestled with weight gain after Christmas, but has now shed the extra kilos and secured three essential points.
He added that Sean Dyche rebuilt a squad with real character and that beating a tough, well-drilled Nottingham outfit is never easy, pointing to Igor Jesus as a dominant presence in duels.
He also praised the visitors’ strength, saying Forest have a fantastic group—Gibbs-White and Anderson included, full of grit.
Guardiola noted that when you play away against Nottingham around Christmas, you need the right mentality to win a match like this.
On celebrations with Pep Lindres after the opener, Guardiola joked that maybe he could be his assistant, and that they were constantly chatting about how to increase shooting options.
On Reinders’ goal celebration, he said players felt how hard the win was and that Forest are strong in every aspect; the ground remains a tough place to play.
With this win City moved to 40 points, one clear of Arsenal who play later against Brighton, while Nottingham sit on 18 in 17th. City are now aiming higher, but will face the next test with the same grit.
Punchline 1: If City keep dropping pounds the way they drop points, their fitness coach will start offering dessert to the referees.
Punchline 2: Nottingham might need a bigger trophy room—not for trophies, just for all the brave faces after the final whistle.
