Pep Guardiola has equalled an unwanted personal record in his managerial career after watching his Manchester City side suffer a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.
The largely uneventful contest between two top-four hopefuls at the City Ground was decided by a strike from Callum Hudson-Odoi seven minutes from time, one that should have been saved at the near post by Ederson, who had previously produced a first-class save to push a Hudson-Odoi strike against the post.
Man City had a couple of half-chances through Nico Gonzalez and Kevin De Bruyne either side of half time, while a Mateo Kovacic half-volley flew just wide of the post in the dying embers.
However, the Citizens ultimately lacked the ingenuity to breach Forest’s dogged defence and the hosts held on to claim three valuable points in the race to secure Champions League football for next season.
Man City remain fourth in the Premier League table and missed the opportunity to leapfrog Forest into third spot, with defeat seeing them slip four points behind Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side.
Guardiola has now lost nine of his 28 Premier League matches so far this season, his highest total of defeats in a single league campaign in his managerial career since losing nine as Man City boss in 2019-20.
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Man City, who have won each of the previous four Premier League titles, have remarkably lost 15 of their last 30 games in all competitions, having previously lost 15 times across 169 matches dating back to December 2021.
Guardiola talks up “10 finals” for Man City after Forest defeat
Reacting to Man City’s latest Premier League loss, Guardiola told TNT Sports: “A tight game, we controlled transitions, we had chances to shoot but were not precise. In the second half there were transitions and in a transition they scored.
“[Forest] defended really well. We had chances, but in last moment we could not do it.”
Discussing Man City’s Champions League qualification hopes, the Catalan added: “We have 10 games to qualify, we have to win games to qualify and we move on to the next one.
“We knew the game would be difficult. Every season the Premier League gets better and better. We have 10 finals and the next one we start.”
Man City, who could slip to fifth in the table if Chelsea beat Leicester City on Sunday, will endeavour to return to winning ways when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium next Saturday in their final game before the international break.
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