“Vamos, vamos!” (“come on, let’s go!”) screamed Rodri in his native Spanish following a 62nd-minute header that seemed to grab a precious victory for Manchester City.
But the title chasers’ 2-1 lead lasted only 14 minutes as Phil Foden allowed Elliot Anderson to run off him and the Nottingham Forest midfielder, from range, curled a sublime equaliser beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma. City’s faithful were silenced.
Rodri’s first league goal in 22 months had come when he rose to head Rayan Aït-Nouri’s corner and arrived seven minutes after Morgan Gibbs-White had cancelled out Antoine Semenyo’s first-half opener.
Yet while City closed the contest harrying Forest they failed to find a match-winner. By the close, Pep Guardiola’s men had failed to do what was required to keep the championship in their hands until its denouement in May: to win.
Guardiola’s team now have nine games to play, Arsenal one less, and as Mikel Arteta’s men won at Brighton it is advantage Gunners, though more twists and turns may yet come.
