Bernardo fumes at ref as City let Forest off the hook in title race twist
Manchester City’s title tilt hit a speed bump under the Etihad lights, a frustrating 2-2 stalemate with relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest that felt like two points tossed away as much as one earned.
City twice in front, Forest twice hit back
Pep Guardiola’s men nudged ahead not once but twice, with Antoine Semenyo and Rodri providing the breakthroughs, only for Forest to answer in kind through classy strikes from Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson. City never truly found top gear, and when the moments came to kill it, they blinked.
Ref rage at the Etihad
The second half brought two flashpoints in the Forest box. Erling Haaland tangled with keeper Matz Sels, then Rodri hit the deck shortly after. Referee Darren England waved both shouts away, and VAR didn’t intervene. Captain Bernardo Silva, incandescent at full time, suggested City have become accustomed to the rub of the green going the other way this season, pointing to the Haaland–Sels incident as one that, in his view, should have been a spot-kick. Bernardo’s bottom line: he feels the 50/50s aren’t falling City’s way, but the players still have to rise above it and control what they can.
Backlash online: ‘salty’ or simply straight-talking?
Social media did what it does. Rival fans mocked what they saw as entitlement, accusing City of reaching for the referee card whenever points slip through their fingers. The general theme: less grumbling, more accountability — with some even dredging up previous post-match barbs from the City camp to make their case. As ever, the truth lies somewhere between the emotion of the moment and the cool-headed review that follows on Monday morning.
Selection questions and Nunes in the firing line
City’s own support had gripes too. Matheus Nunes, deployed again at right-back, endured a rough evening: eight crosses attempted, none finding a blue shirt, and he came out second best in half of his duels. It’s a square-peg role he’s been asked to master, but the numbers won’t help his case. Expect that position to be high on Guardiola’s summer punch list.
Transfer talk: Livramento link lingers
The whispers haven’t gone away either. Tino Livramento is once more being mooted as a long-term solution at full-back, with noise up north about contract talks slowing. Whether City push the button will depend on how their current makeshift options hold up down the stretch.
Title race temperature check
Two denied penalties, two points dropped, and a title race that refuses to run in straight lines. An AI model has even mapped out exactly how many points each contender will finish with — clever stuff, though the Premier League has a habit of shredding predictions by April. For those weighing up the run-in and the market, have a look at the best betting sites — just remember, form and fortune can flip in a heartbeat.
Final word
City can feel sore about the calls, fair enough. But champions-in-waiting make their own weather. If Guardiola’s side tidy up in both boxes, the officiating debate becomes background noise. Forest earned their point; City must now earn the right to make this wobble a footnote, not a headline.
