Pep Guardiola hailed the impact of Phil Foden after champions Manchester City continued their winning Premier League start with a hard-fought victory over Newcastle.
Julian Alvarez scored the only goal of a tight game at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday but it was Foden who claimed most of the plaudits as City registered a club-record 17th successive home victory.
England midfielder Foden teed up Alvarez’s 31st-minute strike during a lively display in which he looked more than capable of filling the playmaking void created by injury to Kevin De Bruyne.
“I’ve said many times, Phil can play in all the positions up front,” said City manager Guardiola.
“He has an incredible ability between the lines. The way he turns and attacks the last lines – it is one of the best I have seen.
“Every control, he knows exactly what is the goal. He doesn’t need two or three touches to get in the right position to attack the goal. In just one touch he is attacking.
“Managers adapt skills to the players we have, or the problems we have right now. Phil, I know how good he is in that position, how good he is as a striker or left wing or wing. I am happy because I have the feeling he is coming back.
“Still we are not at our best, we still have to make a step, but that is completely normal in this type of period.
“Here the biggest difference is the team showed to me, and showed to the Premier League, we are ready to try it again.”
Coming off the back of their European Super Cup triumph in midweek, the treble winners were not at their most dynamic.
Yet with Foden at the heart of their attack, they repeatedly troubled Newcastle while successfully stifling the visitors’ threat.
The result punctured some of Newcastle’s buoyancy after a bright start to the season but manager Eddie Howe emphasised the positives.
Howe said: “They controlled it but you have to give them credit. They are a top team and that’s why they win so much.
“It’s disappointing not to get anything from the game but we’ll reflect and analyse and there’s so much to take from the game.
“We go into another one against Liverpool, which will be similar, and there’s lots to take into that match.”
Bayern star Kane scores 400th senior goal
Harry Kane surpassed the 400-goal mark for his senior career as his double helped Bayern Munich beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Kane moved within one of the milestone as he put Bayern 1-0 up after just nine minutes, coolly finishing from close range after Konrad Laimer's pass had set him up.
Then, after Frankfurt levelled through Hugo Ekitike, Kane slotted home a penalty with typical aplomb following a foul on Thomas Muller to move himself onto 400 career goals and ultimately lead Bayern to victory.
Kane scored 280 of his goals in 435 appearances for Tottenham, overtaking Jimmy Greaves to become the club's all-time leading scorer when he netted for the 267th time in Spurs colours against Manchester City last February.
His tally of 213 Premier League goals, meanwhile, puts him just 47 behind the competition's all-time leader Alan Shearer, who scored 260 times for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.
Kane is also the most prolific player in England's history, his 62 goals for the Three Lions coming in 89 international appearances.
He memorably missed the chance to surpass Wayne Rooney's previous record of 53 when he blazed a penalty over the crossbar in the Three Lions' quarter-final defeat to France at the 2022 World Cup, only to clinch his place in history in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy three months later.
The very first goal of Kane's senior career came in League One during a loan spell with Leyton Orient as they thrashed Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 in January 2011.
That was the first of five goals Kane scored in O's colours, while he also netted nine times in a loan spell with Millwall in 2011-12 and twice during a stint with Leicester City the following season.
Guardiola: It is a 'dream come true' to be fighting for Premier League title again
Pep Guardiola says it is a "dream come true" to be fighting for the Premier League title once again as his Manchester City side prepare to take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday.
City head into this weekend in second, one point behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand as Liverpool continue to falter. The Gunners play before Guardiola's men on Sunday, travelling to take on fierce rivals Tottenham, and any slip-up could allow City to move top of the table.
City are on the hunt for a sixth Premier League title in seven seasons, and though Guardiola's men have been in the fight at the summit so often in recent times, the chance to win top-flight silverware again has not lost its appeal.
"Of course, all the teams in the [title race] are tired," Guardiola told reporters. "It's normal at the end of the season.
"But at the same time, it's so exciting. Fighting again for the Premier League? It's a dream come true.
"I could not expect it, honestly. I know always you dream to be there."
At the other end of the table, Forest are fighting for their Premier League lives, a battle not aided by dubious officiating decisions in the 2-0 defeat at Everton last weekend.
The controversial loss leaves Forest heading into their tough fixture this weekend just a point above the drop zone with four games to play.
In his pre-match press conference for the City game, Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was still fuming about the refereeing against the Toffees, saying: "I still can’t quite believe how the decisions went against us.
"It has a big impact as it eventually means points, it means frustration and disappointment. It feels like it’s always against us."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White
Gibbs-White has been involved in four goals in his last three Premier League home games (two goals, two assists). Indeed, since Forest's return to the top-flight last season, Gibbs-White has been involved in 19 goals at the City Ground, at least eight more than any other player (eight goals, 11 assists). City will have to keep a watchful eye on the former Wolves man.
Manchester City – Phil Foden
It had already been Foden's best league scoring season of his career before the City youth product netted his 15th and 16th Premier League goals of the campaign to help his side to a 4-0 victory at Brighton on Thursday. He has been absolutely crucial for City this term, and he could be the man to help unlock the Forest door this weekend for another huge three points in the title race.
MATCH PREDICTION – MAN CITY WIN
City are looking to complete their first league double over Forest since the 1999-00 campaign in the second tier, and their first in the top-flight since 1990-91.
However, Forest have lost just three of their last 16 top-flight home games against City (10 wins, three draws), going down 2-0 in 1985, 3-1 in 1990 and 2-0 in 1993.
They have been strong at home of late, too, unbeaten in their last three at the City Ground despite winning just one of their last nine Premier League outings.
It will have to be an almighty effort to topple City, however, especially considering Forest have kept just one clean sheet in their last 23 Premier League games, with that coming via a 2-0 win over West Ham in February.
City have lost both of their Premier League games in the Midlands so far this season, going down 2-1 at Wolves and 1-0 at Aston Villa. However, they last lost three consecutive such visits to the Midlands between March and December 2008, and with the title on the line, it is hard to see past them as strong favourites to pick up the three points on Sunday.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Forest: 10.8%
Man City: 69.3%
Draw: 19.9%
Las Palmas 0-2 Girona: Michel's men close in on Champions League dream
It was a tale of three penalties as Girona went second in LaLiga with a 2-0 win over Las Palmas on Saturday, edging closer to a Champions League place for next season.
Artem Dovbyk made sure of the win from the spot in the second half, after David Lopez had put them in front in the 26th minute.
Lopez was on hand to blast into the roof of the net after Alvaro Valles saved Dovbyk's first penalty of the game, conceded by Las Palmas captain Kirian Rodriguez.
Las Palmas had earlier squandered a spot-kick of their own, with Paulo Gazzaniga springing to his right to push Sandro Ramirez's strike away.
Girona now possess a 13-point buffer to fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who have just 18 points to play for, so it appears a mere matter of time before Michel's side secure Champions League qualification.
Data Debrief: Dovbyk in fine company
Dovbyk wasn't deterred after seeing his first-half penalty saved, his second attempt from 12 yards finding the bottom-right corner to make the points safe for Girona.
He has now scored 19 goals in just 31 appearances in LaLiga. Only four players have previously reached that figure in fewer outings in the competition – Cristiano Ronaldo (23), Radamel Falcao (24), Robert Lewandowski (28) and Julio Baptista (29).
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