Wood Falls Flat as City Burn Forest

De Bruyne's return - moments of magic, major mistakes

City began the game well, but the nervous tension that had been in the Etihad prior to kick off remained until the direction of the game became defined towards the end of the first half.

The clock stood at 30 minutes. Kevin De Bruyne's misplaced pass may have been about to render his first start in three months infamous (after already claiming an early assist). Ruben Dias's outstretched leg was still a good distance from the ball. And Chris Wood is through! The big Kiwi picked up the ball just outside the centre circle and although not known for his pace, he was through on goal with only Stefan Ortega between him and the goal.

Ortega stands his ground

Chris Wood fluffs his lines! The German goalkeeper made himself big, and did just enough to disrupt Wood's flow; the Forest man sent his shot just wide of the left post. From then onwards Forest's chance creation capabilities decreased, Nuno's shift to a back five by removing club captain Ryan Yates at halftime conveyed his resignation to defeat.

Inflection Point in the Match

Kevin De Bruyne already had one assist for Bernardo's goal, but wrote his own name on the score sheet with a rocket into the top corner. It was one of those KDB moments that happen 2,3,4 times a season where he solidifies his spot as a Premier League all-time great. City's best ever certainly, never shy of occupying the crucial space in between the opposing midfield defence and of course, a creative genius.

Jeremy Doku, back out on the left, not only allowed Grealish to impress centrally, but scored a textbook wingers goal. After bamboozling the giant Forest CB, Milenkovic, he curled a shot past the helpless Matz Sels into the Tricky Tree's net. A deserved goal for certain. Milenkovic played an odd role in this fixture. He seemed to do his job of silencing Erling Haaland well, yet for the first time in two months, City's all-round quality helped them do the job.

Inflection Point in the Club's Seasons

Interestingly, Nuno's defensive and desperate changes occured in a strange moment when Pep had seemed to occupy the same position as him. That is until this result. Title race back on? Undoubtedly tabloids and pundits will begin to suggest that the League is not yet out of City's grasp, but they will struggle to reel in this composed Liverpool outfit - who have been overcome by only Forest this season. Everyone knows City possess the capability of going 20 games without a loss, but based off the past two seasons, it shouldn't be a surprise if Forest go the other way, resigned to mid-table mediocrity. That being said, dreams of European football are not fading away any time soon in-and-around NG2.

These two clubs will certainly be two of the more interesting story lines to watch unravel across the remainder of the season and in particular over the upcoming festive season.