Nottingham Forest 1–0 Manchester City Player Ratings: Late Callum Hudson-Odoi Goal Help Drown Pep Guardiola’s Uninspiring Men

Nottingham Forest held onto the third place in the 2024/25 Premier League table with a gritty 1-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday (8 March 2025). A late winning goal from Callum Hudson-Odoi in the 83^rd minute helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s side strengthen their push for a UEFA Champions League place.

Pep Guardiola opted to play Matheus Nunes in an unconventional right-back role and saw his side dominate the major share of the first-half possession. Erling Haaland had a big chance to score the opener in the 8th minute after robbing Chris Wood of the ball outside Nottingham Forest’s penalty area but saw his shot deflected wide.

Nicolas Gonzalez tried his luck from afar with a thunderous effort in the 14^th minute, with his shot rifling the side of Mats Selz’s post. Wood had the hosts’ first big chance two minutes later, but he couldn’t control Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross well enough to score from inside the box.

Both teams went back and forth on transitions but failed to deliver in the final third. Jeremy Doku recorded the Cityzens’ first shot on target after shooting straight at Selz in the 42^nd minute. A minute later, Wood was sent through on goal but failed to chip a shot over Ederson to end the half frustratingly.

The hosts began the second half with a lot of energy, with Anthony Elanga teeing up a nice chance for Nicolas Dominguez to shoot at Ederson in the 47^th minute. Morgan Gibbs-White had a potential goal-scoring effort blocked off after the hour-mark, while Callum Hudson-Odoi struck the post in the 67^th minute after a stunning save from Ederson.

Kevin de Bruyne came on in the 69^th minute, after which he struck a shot over the bar from inside the box and hit a free-kick at Selz. Manchester City were rued for their waste chances, as Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the winner in the 83^rd minute.

The English winger burst in from the right wing before getting a bit of luck from Josko Gvardiol’s deflection to haunt the Cityzens. Despite pushing hard for an equalizer, Manchester City failed to get an equalizer and suffered their ninth loss of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Here are the Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Player Ratings.

Nottingham Forest Player Ratings

GK – Matz Selz – 7/10

Selz maintained his reliability in between the goal, covering the angles well to frustrate the visitors. He made a couple of sharp saves and his ball progression was pretty good too.

RB – Ola Aina – 6/10

Aina worked hard to neutralize Manchester City’s movement on his side but was guilty of going astray from his position to allow Manchester City to create some half-chances.

CB – Nikola Milenkovic – 7.5/10

Milenkovic did a solid job of keeping Haaland quiet, being a sturdy and bullish figure at the back. He made a few vital challenges and maintained a stubborn defensive shape to disrupt Manchester CIty’s movement in the final third.

CB – Murillo – 8/10

Murillo continued his impressive form with another admirable performance. He read the Manchester City attacking moves well, always being in the right areas to clear the ball away and ruin their hard work. Moved the ball forward pretty well too.

LB – Neco Williams – 7/10

Williams was a diligent figure on the left, maintaining utmost concentration to frustrate the visitors all game long. He ensured that Raphinha wasn’t able to create that many chances and did well to frustrate Jeremy Doku with some clutch challenges.

CM – Nicolas Dominguez – 7.5/10

The Argentine midfielder was proactive, always being alert to his surroundings and reading the Cityzens’ attacking pattern well. He made a lot of key tackles to regain the ball and was quite disciplined in moving the ball around.

CM – Elliott Anderson – 5.5/10

Anderson was a bit sluggish with his work in midfield, as he lost a lot of key duels in midfield to give away the ball. Couldn’t move it forward well either and a bit lucky not to get sent off for a challenge on Phil Foden in the first half.

RW – Anthony Elanga – 6.5/10

Elanga lacked his bite in the first half, but he fired up after the break to torment the visitors. He was a major threat because of his unpredictable movement and put some nice crosses into the box that weren’t exactly capitalized on.

AM – Morgan Gibbs-White – 7.5/10

Gibbs-White had a tale of two halves, being unconvincing in the first half but glowing up in the second half. He got into some nice areas and saw a potential goal ruined by Khusanov’s block. Produced a great pass to tee up the winning goal.

LW – Callum Hudson-Odoi – 8.5/10

Arguably Nottingham Forrest’s biggest threat in the attacking front. Hudson-Odoi was clever with his movement, keeping the defenders guessing to get into prime areas. He created some great chances with his delivery and even hit the post in the second half. His persistence paid off after he made a great run into the box to score the winning goal.

CF – Chris Wood – 5/10

Wood had a frustrating outing against the defending champions, being quite sloppy with his work in the box. He scuffed a decent chance in the first half and was almost a bystander after the break.

SUB – Ryan Yates – 6/10

Yates was a bit sloppy in being overly aggressive with his challenges, giving away fouls. Helped his side get the job done.

SUB – Ibrahim Sangare – 6.5/10

Sangare added a bit more steel to his side’s midfield and also aided his backline to frustrate the hosts late on.

SUB –Taiwo Awoniyi – N/R

Made some nice contributions in the attacking third.

SUB – Morato – N/R

Helped his side get the job done.

Manager – Nuno Espirito Santo – 8.5/10

Nuno Espirito Santo produced a masterful effort in ensuring that side perfectly soaked up the Manchester City pressure and ensure they couldn’t do with all their possession. He ensured they maintained a solid defensive effort, and for his players to attack a tired Manchester City squad in the second half. A combination of sturdy defensive tactics and counter-attacking brilliance helps him get a big win over Pep Guardiola!

Manchester City Player Ratings

GK – Ederson – 5/10

Ederson didn’t have too much to do, but he was pretty good at moving the ball forward. Made an excellent save to deny Hudson-Odoi in the second half. Then undid all his good work as Hudson-Odoi’s shot easily went past his front post.

RB – Matheus Nunes – 5/10

Nunes struggled to keep up with Hudson-Odoi, often being caught out of position and losing key duels. Taken off soon after getting booked.

CB – Abdukodir Khusanov – 7.5/10

The young centre-back showed maturity beyond his years with a brave and emphatic display. He marked the in-form Chris Wood impressively, not allowing him any space to wander into. Came in in the right areas to make vital clearances and a terrific block to deny Gibbs White too.

CB – Ruben Dias – 6.5/10

Dias held together a pretty sturdy defensive line and ensured that Khusanov could play his own game with utmost freedom. He made a few crucial challenges and was sharp in moving the ball around.

LB – Josko Gvardiol – 6/10

Gvardiol was highly impressive with his defensive work for the majority of the game, making key clearances and neutralizing their threat through the left. Could have done better to close down Hudson-Odoi for his goal.

DM – Nicolas Gonzalez – 7/10

Gonzalez was sharp and efficient in midfield, showcasing positive energy with his movement. He won the ball back on multiple occasions, helping neutralize the hosts’ counter-attacks. Came close to scoring with a powerful effort in the first half.

CM – Bernardo Silva – 6/10

Silva was a wily character with his proactive movement throughout the game, but his final product was a bit awry. He missed a scorable chance in the first half but created a few decent chances with his delivery.

CM – Phil Foden – 7/10

Foden’s off movement was really good, as he evaded the opposition player’s markers to get into some great areas in the final third. Delivered some quality passes into the box to create chances, but his teammates weren’t ruthless enough to put them away.

RW – Savinho – 6/10

The Brazilian winger was a thorn for the Nottingham Forest defenders with his unpredictable movement and dribbles. Got into some good positions and worked hard to regain possession, but his final product wasn’t the sharpest.

LW – Jeremy Doku – 7/10

Doku was a major threat with his proactive movement all game long, as he often dribbled into the dangerous areas to open up the opposition backline. His final product was topsy-turvy, but Doku’s ability to get into the box made him the biggest scare for the hosts.

CF – Erling Haaland – 4/10

Haaland had a big chance to score the opener early on, but could not finish the chance quickly enough. Unable to get to the end of anything noteworthy after that and was frustrated by the Nottingham Forest defender’s smart defensive work.

SUB – Rico Lewis – 5/10

Lewis was a bit error-prone with his defensive work, often letting the opposition players get into the final third through the left flank.

SUB – Mateo Kovacic – 5.5/10

Kovacic helped move the ball around well in midfield, but couldn’t create anything noteworthy. Struck a shot into the stands in stoppage time.

SUB – Omar Marmoush – 5/10

Almost boxed out in the opposition’s final third in the second half and couldn’t conjure up anything special for his side.

SUB – Kevin de Bruyne – 5/10

De Bruyne scuffed a decent scorable chance after coming on and then struck a free-kick straight at Selz.

Manager – Pep Guardiola – 4/10

Guardiola’s side were quite toothless in the final third despite having the majority of his possession. He just couldn’t find a solution to Nottingham Forest’s defensive fortitude and his players couldn’t produce that special spark either. His substitutions failed to impact the result either.

Sportsdunia’s man of the match for this game is Callum Hudson-Odoi.