Pep Guardiola suggested Nottingham Forest’s tactics backfired on them as Man City extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 19 matches.
A 2-0 win at the City Ground was crucial after Arsenal had beaten Tottenham earlier in the day and it leaves City just a point behind the Gunners, with a game in hand to come away to Spurs next month.
Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring with a header from a corner, before Erling Haaland gave City real control when he kept off the bench in the second-half and finished cooly, taking his league tally to 21 goals this season.
Forest had chances themselves, with Chris Wood in particularly in a wasteful mood in front of goal, and the pace from the likes of Anthony Elanga and Ola Aina out wide caused the City defence plenty of problems.
Gvardiol revealed after the match City had struggled with the dryness of the pitch, the grounds team perhaps doing their bit to try and stifle the visitors’ passing game, but Guardiola claimed it actually hurt Forest’s attempts to counter.
"In certain moments we suffered,” Guardiola told Match of the Day.
“We were lucky today the pitch was so dry, because the chances they missed that was the reason why. We were lucky today that the pitch was in these conditions."
He added: “If the pitch had have been better with the [Forest] fast players, it would have been better for them. That’s for sure.”
City will be champions again if they win their final four Premier League matches, starting at home to Wolves next weekend. Guardiola’s side then travel to face Fulham and Tottenham, before hosting West Ham on the last day of the season.
Arsenal, meanwhile, welcome Bournemouth to north London, before a trip to Old Trafford on the penultimate weekend of the campaign is followed by a match at home to Everton.
It is unsurprisingly City who are the firm favourites to get the job done, as they so often have at this time of the year, and Guardiola has little concern about his side being impacted by pressure.
"The pressure is how you play,” Guardiola said.
“If you play good and control the game then people say you don't feel the pressure. If you play bad people say you feel the pressure.”
