Forest upsets Arsenal, hands City the title
Manchester City became Premier League champion without kicking a ball after Arsenal lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, which secured its top-flight status in the process.
The Gunners, which were insatiable for most of the campaign, had spent 248 days on top of the table and held an eight-point lead over City in March, but an alarming slide saw them overtaken by Pep Guardiola’s relentless juggernaut.
Taiwo Awoniyi’s first-half goal for Forest at a raucous City Ground ensured Guardiola’s side will lift the title for a fifth time in six seasons with three games to spare.
City’s champagne has been on ice for a couple of weeks as the Gunners, which also wilted badly at the end of last campaign, have won just two of their past eight Premier League games. However, they are confirmed runners-up going into their final game of the season next week.
For Forest, this was a real red letter day as it secured top flight survival against the odds.
For large parts of the season, which began with more than 20 new signings, Forest looked destined to return straight back to the Championship, not least when it was on an 11-game winless run going into the end of April.
But Awoniyi’s hot streak, with five goals in three games, helped Steve Cooper’s men lift themselves out of the bottom three and they can no longer be caught by Southampton, Leicester City or Everton.
It completes an impressive job by Cooper, who repaid Forest for the faith it showed when backing him amid its poor run, and his stock continues to rise.
Everton’s draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the day meant Forest came into the game knowing a win would guarantee its safety.
Backed by a vociferous home crowd, desperate to see its side secure survival at the place where it has won so many of its points this season, it made a strong start as Arsenal’s defence survived some early pressure.
The Gunners began to assert some level of control and Gabriel Jesus was denied by Forest goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who came out quickly to smother the ball, while the Brazilian nodded over at the far post.
But the City Ground exploded in the 19th minute as Forest punished the visitors with a lightning counter-attack.
Martin Odegaard loosely passed straight to Morgan Gibbs-White who surged forward at pace before feeding Awoniyi, who enjoyed a bit of fortune as Gabriel’s challenge bobbled against his leg and he scuffed past Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal had plenty of possession but lacked the creativity and guile to break Forest down in the first half, with Leandro Trossard and Jesus sending efforts tamely off target.
Forest vitally ensured it took its lead into the interval and could have doubled it soon after the restart.
After recycling a free-kick, Renan Lodi’s ball back in found Felipe and his shot from close range was blocked.
It was more of the same for the Gunners, which had plenty of the ball but did little with it. Bukayo Saka did have a moment of promise when he was played in but he fired straight at Navas.
Instead it was Forest that was pushing for a second and Gibbs-White squandered a good chance when he found the side-netting after taking advantage of Ben White’s slip, before Lodi drilled wide.
As the game entered the final 15 minutes with the holy grail of survival in touching distance, Forest began to sit deep and invite pressure.
It is unsurprising that nerves were so fraught as no side has conceded more goals in the final 15 minutes of matches than Forest’s 17 and every tackle, block and clearance was greeted with cheers as loud as a goal.
Gibbs-White fired straight at Ramsdale as Forest looked to make it a less tense ending for them, but Arsenal’s poor attacking display meant it was able to hold on to spark mass scenes of celebration.
