Man City rout Liverpool to mark Guardiola milestone, Forest boost survival bid

Manchester City marked Pep Guardiola's 1,000th match in management with a convincing 3-0 victory over Liverpool, propelling them back into contention for the Premier League crown, as Nottingham Forest secured a 3-1 triumph against Leeds to strengthen their fight against relegation on Sunday.

Erling Haaland fluffed an initial spot-kick at the Etihad, yet the City forward bounced back to open the scoring for Guardiola's team.

Nico Gonzalez extended the lead prior to the interval, and Jeremy Doku sealed his standout display with the third goal for City after the break.

This result served as an ideal celebration for the ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Guardiola, highlighting another achievement in his illustrious 17-year tenure that boasts 716 triumphs.

Now in second position, City sit merely four points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal, who let in a dramatic leveller in their 2-2 stalemate versus Sunderland on Saturday.

City's seventh success in eight outings across all tournaments dealt a severe setback to Liverpool's title defence aspirations.

The struggling title holders have dropped points in seven of their past 10 fixtures in every competition and now lag eight points behind Arsenal.

They find themselves stuck in eighth spot following the evaporation of positivity from back-to-back victories against Aston Villa and Real Madrid into Manchester's damp atmosphere.

Haaland wasted a prime chance to edge City in front during the 12th minute, as VAR deemed Doku fouled by Liverpool custodian Giorgi Mamardashvili within the box.

Mamardashvili atoned by plunging right to block Haaland's penalty effort.

Undeterred by the error, Haaland struck for City in the 29th minute.

Culminating a fluid sequence of 20 passes that advanced City from their own territory, Matheus Nunes delivered a cross for Haaland, who leaped over Ibrahima Konate to nod in from close range.

This marked Haaland's 99th league strike since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

Haaland has netted 19 goals across 15 appearances in various competitions for City this term, finding the net in all except two.

A late first-half header from Virgil van Dijk was ruled out amid controversy by VAR due to Andrew Robertson's offside position.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed outrage over the call, and Gonzalez compounded their frustration in added time before the break.

Exploiting ample room courtesy of Liverpool's sluggish backline, Gonzalez unleashed a powerful shot from distance that took a deflection off Van Dijk on its path to goal.

Doku administered the decisive strike by bending an exquisite effort beyond Mamardashvili from 25 yards in the 63rd minute.

Forest boost

Down at the City Ground, Forest fell behind to Lukas Nmecha's effort in the 13th minute.

However, Ibrahim Sangare levelled matters shortly after, and Morgan Gibbs-White nodded in during the 68th minute prior to Elliot Anderson converting a late penalty.

This was Forest's inaugural league win since their opening-day success over Brentford back in August.

Nuno Espirito Santo helmed Forest at that point, prior to his exit paving the way for Ange Postecoglou, whose short stint also concluded in dismissal, leading to Sean Dyche assuming control.

Situated second from the foot of the table, Forest's initial Premier League success under Dyche halted a nine-game drought without a win and brought them one point from the drop zone.

Aston Villa demolished Bournemouth 4-0, extending their run to five victories in six league encounters.

Emiliano Buendia and Amadou Onana found the net before the interval at Villa Park, then Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo saw his post-half-time penalty denied by Emiliano Martinez.

Further strikes from Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen in the latter period confirmed Villa's dominance.

Newcastle's poor record on the road persisted with a lacklustre 3-1 loss to Brentford.

The Magpies' Harvey Barnes scored just shy of the half-hour mark, but Kevin Schade restored parity in the 56th minute.

Newcastle's Dan Burn received a red card in the 73rd minute for tripping Dango Ouattara and conceding a penalty.

Igor Thiago slotted home from the spot, and the Brazilian added another in the dying moments.

Newcastle occupy 14th place and have not tasted away victory in the league for nine tries since April.

Crystal Palace and Brighton played out a goalless affair at Selhurst Park, keeping both sides in the middle of the standings.