Manchester City stumbled in their Champions League qualification pursuit, drawing 2-2 with Brighton, whilst Nottingham Forest secured an impressive 4-2 victory over Ipswich on Saturday.
Despite goals from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush, Brighton maintained their seven-match unbeaten sequence through Pervis Estupinan’s free-kick and an Abdukodir Khusanov own goal.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Pep Guardiola had previously stated that qualifying for the Champions League would constitute a “big success” following a challenging season for the reigning champions.
After their Champions League elimination by Real Madrid, City had a complete week to recover from their recent 1-0 defeat at Forest.
Marmoush returned to the first team and proved instrumental in City’s attacking movements. The Egyptian earned the penalty that Haaland converted for his 29th goal this season.
City’s advantage was brief, as Estupinan’s free-kick deflected off the post past an immobile Stefan Ortega. Marmoush restored City’s lead with a long-range effort before the interval.
Brighton equalised three minutes into the second period when Hinshelwood’s attempt deflected off Khusanov into his own net. Nico Gonzalez struck the woodwork as City sought a winning goal.
A fifth-place Premier League finish should secure Champions League qualification due to English teams’ European achievements. The draw keeps City in fifth position, marginally ahead of seventh-placed Brighton.
Forest continue march towards Champions League
Forest advanced their European aspirations with a commanding performance at Portman Road. Three quick first-half goals positioned them just behind Arsenal and ahead of City.
Nikola Milenkovic opened the scoring with a powerful strike off the crossbar. Anthony Elanga scored his first goal since December 26 following a rapid counter-attack. Elanga capitalised on poor defending to secure his second goal moments later.
Jens Cajuste and George Hirst scored consolation goals for Ipswich, either side of Jota Silva’s strike for Forest.
Other Premier League results:
- Wolves enhanced their survival prospects by defeating Southampton 2-1. Jorgen Strand Larsen headed in Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s cross after 19 minutes. The pair combined again as Strand Larsen scored his ninth seasonal goal. Paul Onuachu scored for Southampton, who remain likely to set a Premier League low points record.
- Everton maintained their unbeaten sequence through Jake O’Brien’s 90th-minute equaliser against West Ham. Tomas Soucek had given West Ham the lead at Goodison Park, with both teams reaching 34 points, well clear of relegation.
