Rayan Cherki delivered a decisive display as Manchester City edged Nottingham Forest 2-1 at the City Ground, scoring the late winner and providing an assist to send Pep Guardiola's team top of the Premier League table ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Brighton.
The victory extended Manchester City’s league winning run to six matches, matching the momentum that carried the club through the final nine games of the 2023-24 season, when Guardiola’s side surged past Arsenal in the title race with a relentless late charge.
The second half opened up after a quiet first period, and Cherki quickly took control, sliding a precise pass through for Tijjani Reijnders, who made no mistake in the 48th minute, giving Manchester City the lead and shifting the tempo
firmly in favour of the visitors.
Nottingham Forest responded with determination as Omari Hutchinson struck an equaliser soon after Cherki had hit the post, while goalkeeper John Victor produced a superb close-range stop from Phil Foden, giving Sean Dyche’s side real hope of taking a point from the contest.
The decisive moment arrived in the 83rd minute from a planned set-piece move, when Josko Gvardiol won a knockdown inside the area and Cherki met the dropping ball with a crisp first-time finish, sealing Manchester City’s sixth straight Premier League victory of the campaign.
Cherki’s influence stretched beyond the goals, with the former Lyon player creating a match-high three chances and taking four shots; only Foden attempted more efforts with five, while Cherki also matched Foden’s seven touches inside the Nottingham Forest penalty area during an assertive attacking performance.
Across his career in top-flight league football, Cherki has now reached 50 direct goal contributions, split between 16 goals and 34 assists, underlining why Cherki is currently considered one of Europe’s most in-form attacking players in domestic competition.
Rayan Cherki now has 50 goal involvements in top-flight league competition during his career (16 goals, 34 assists). pic.twitter.com/LtQa8FVUvROpta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 27, 2025
Since the start of November, Cherki has recorded eight Premier League goal involvements, with only Erling Haaland, on 11, and Bruno Fernandes, on nine, producing more in that spell across the division as Cherki’s output continues to rise at an impressive rate.
Between November 1 and the Nottingham Forest match, Cherki has supplied seven league assists, more than any player across Europe’s top five leagues in that period, strengthening Manchester City’s attack and adding extra pressure on Arsenal as the title race tightens again.
Manchester City’s latest streak, built on Cherki’s creativity and finishing, places Guardiola’s squad in a strong early position and serves as a reminder to rivals, including Arsenal, that the defending champions remain capable of sustaining long winning runs in the Premier League.
/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-176684903549176926.webp)
/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-176684563357231096.webp)