Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City: Cherki stars to put pressure on Arsenal

Rayan Cherki scored one goal and set up another as Manchester City saw off a resilient Nottingham Forest 2-1 at the City Ground.

Cherki, who is one of Europe’s most in-form players, netted City’s winner in the 83rd minute of Saturday’s contest.

That goal sent Pep Guardiola’s team to the top of the Premier League table, ahead of Arsenal facing Brighton later on.

A low-key first half made way for an end-to-end second period, with Cherki slipping in Tijjani Reijnders to open the scoring in the 48th minute.

With Cherki having struck the post, Omari Hutchinson pulled Forest level soon after, and it looked as though Sean Dyche’s team may claim a hard-fought point when John Victor brilliantly denied Phil Foden from close range.

Yet Cherki cropped up with a fantastic first-time finish from Josko Gvardiol’s knockdown off a clever set-piece routine, as Guardiola’s side claimed a sixth straight league win.

Rayan Cherki now has 50 goal involvements in top-flight league competition during his career (16 goals, 34 assists). pic.twitter.com/LtQa8FVUvR

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 27, 2025

Data Debrief: Half-century up for Cherki

It is now eight Premier League goal involvements for Cherki since the start of November. In that time, only Erling Haaland (11) and Bruno Fernandes (nine) have more.

Cherki’s assist for Reijnders means he has now set up seven league goals since November 1, which is more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues. He now has 50 goal involvements in his top-flight career, too (16 goals, 34 assists).

The former Lyon star was exceptional, creating a game-leading three chances and having four shots, a tally bettered by only Foden (five), while Cherki matched the England international for touches in the opposition box (seven).

City have now won six consecutive Premier League games in the same season for the first time since winning their final nine matches of the 2023-24 campaign, a run that saw them storm to the title ahead of Arsenal. Their current streak might just send a shiver down the Gunners’ spines.