PL Saturday Roundup: Forest Stun Man City, Arsenal Go Six Points Clear, Leeds End Winless Run and Fulham Hold Newcastle

Saturday’s Premier League action delivered a major twist in the title race as Nottingham Forest stunned Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground, handing Arsenal a golden opportunity to strengthen their grip on top spot. The Gunners made the most of it with a narrow 1-0 victory over Hull City, extending their winning run to five league games and opening up a six-point lead.  

Elsewhere, Leeds United ended their winless streak with a 1-0 win over Tottenham, while Fulham and Newcastle shared the spoils in an entertaining 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground on Saturday, a result that hands Arsenal a huge boost in the title race. Jair scored in the sixth minute, Liam Delap added goals in the 18th and 73rd minutes, and Rayan Cherki pulled one back for Manchester City in the 52nd.

Manchester City had almost all of the ball, with 78% possession and 753 passes to Nottingham Forest’s 206. It did not matter. Nottingham Forest had five shots on target from 11 attempts, while Manchester City managed four from 12 and missed three big chances. Nottingham Forest had one and scored it. Jair got things going early, hitting a left-footed shot from inside the box. Delap then ran onto a pass from Xaver Schlager and finished a quick counter. Cherki gave Manchester City hope after the break with a left-footed strike inside the far post. But Morgan Gibbs-White set up Delap for his second, and that settled it.

[Friday Premier League: Thierno Barry Scores Twice as Everton Come from Behind to Beat Coventry 3-1]

The defeat means Arsenal’s lead at the top should now be six points. They beat Hull City 1-0 at the Emirates earlier in the day, with captain Martin Odegaard scoring the winner in the 72nd minute. It was their fifth league win in a row. Hull City will be sore about it, as they held on for a long time before that one slip.

At Craven Cottage, Fulham and Newcastle drew 1-1. Jacob Murphy put Newcastle ahead around the 80th minute with a left-footed curler from 25 yards, and Rodrigo Muniz levelled for Fulham around the 82nd minute. 

In the day’s other game, Leeds United beat Tottenham 1-0 at Elland Road. Substitute Noah Okafor scored the winner in the 79th minute, giving Leeds United their first Premier League win since September.

You can read the full match reports for the earlier games here.