“They had 11 players in the box” – Matheus Nunes bemoans Nottingham Forest’s tactics against Manchester City | OneFootball

Manchester City star Matheus Nunes has hit out at Nottingham Forest’s game-plan in their 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

Pep Guardiola’s side lost further ground in the title race as sensational goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson helped Forest salvage a valiant 2-2 draw against City.

City’s winning ways in all competitions has been halted at six as Arsenal extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points, albeit having played an additional game.

The Blues will come up against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in two weeks, with a title decider also in store between the Premier League’s top two sides at the Etihad Stadium in April.

What did Matheus Nunes say about Nottingham Forest’s tactics against Manchester City?

In conversation with official Manchester City media, midfielder turned right-back Matheus Nunes aimed a dig at Nottingham Forest’s approach to their face-off against the Blues.

“They had 11 players in the box so we know it’s difficult,” the Portugal international said. “But we have to be more stable, especially when we are in front, and not concede easy goals.

“I think that’s the main characteristic of our team; be stable all the time and have the ball – and make the opponent suffer.

“And I think we didn’t do that very well this game because we conceded two goals and I think it was easy goals. Just frustrated.”

Can Manchester City still usurp Arsenal in the title race?

That’s the million dollar question and with nine games left in the Premier League campaign, it is now or never for Guardiola and co to get their act together and go on a winning run if they are to claim a fifth league title in six seasons.

City will turn their attention to the FA Cup this weekend as they travel to Tyneside to face Newcastle United in the fifth round of the competition, still being in the running for an unprecedented quadruple.

However, despite the challenge that City face in overturning a genuine deficit to Arsenal, Nunes says that him and his teammates will not accept defeat in their chase of the north Londoners.

“The work ethic is not going to change,” the 27-year-old added. “It doesn’t matter how many points behind, we can be 15 points behind, we’re still going to try and chase them.”

City Xtra’s View

Nunes’ comments on Forest’s game-plan will not have gone down well with Guardiola, who was also indifferent in his verdict of Bernardo Silva’s outspoken criticism of refereeing decisions that went against Manchester City against Forest.

The harsh truth is that City were far from their best against Vitor Pereira’s men and that the Blues cannot and should not be relying on a penalty decision going their way to get them over the line against a side battling for Premier League survival.

Guardiola could have brought in reinforcements from the bench sooner and tried to kill the game off but Anderson’s moment of brilliance after 76 minutes turned the game on its head.

It remains to be seen whether City can pick themselves up and go again in their next Premier League clash away at West Ham, though they have Newcastle in the FA Cup and Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League to worry about before a trip to the London Stadium in 10 days’ time.