Thank heavens for Serki, a €36.5 million signing who proved invaluable with both an assist and a goal, helping Manchester City secure a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest and temporarily claim the top spot.

At 20:30 Beijing time on December 27th, Nottingham Forest faced Manchester City at home in the 18th round of the Premier League.

In the first half, Manchester City dominated possession with 70%, but neither side managed a shot on target, ending the half 0-0; in the second half, Serki assisted Reinders to break the deadlock early, then Reinders lost the ball after a feint, allowing Nottingham Forest to launch a smooth counterattack with Hutchinson equalizing. Later, seizing a tactical opportunity, Gvardiol assisted Serki, who scored a decisive goal with a powerful shot.

Ultimately, Manchester City won 2-1 away at Nottingham Forest, extending their winning streak to eight matches across all competitions and temporarily moving to the top of the table.

For Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City, coach Daichi deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with a starting lineup valued at €353 million;Guardiola set up a 4-3-2-1 formation with Haaland leading the attack, supported by Foden and Serki behind him, Reinders, Gonzalez, and Bernardo Silva forming the midfield trio, O’Reilly, Gvardiol, Dias, and Nunes in defense, and Donnarumma in goal, with a starting lineup worth €720 million..

In this match, Manchester City controlled the game despite being the away side, holding more possession; however, with Doku injured and Haaland tightly marked, City’s attacking options were limited. The €36.5 million summer signing from Lyon, Serki, turned out to be a steal. He changed the course of the game by first assisting Reinders to open the scoring and then scoring a brilliant winning goal himself. With De Bruyne gone, Serki has become Manchester City’s main creative force, especially crucial in breaking down compact defenses. This season, Serki has played 23 games with 6 goals and 9 assists, including 13 Premier League appearances with 2 goals and 7 assists, fully taking on the creative responsibility. After the match, Serki earned an 8.4 rating, the only player on the team to score above 8, making him the key figure in City’s 2-1 away victory over Nottingham Forest that lifted them to the top. Truly, the Blue Moon hangs high—thank heavens for Serki!

Throughout the entire match,Manchester City held 66% possession, took 16 shots with 5 on target; Nottingham Forest had 7 shots with 2 on target..