Manchester City had Rodri sent off as they extended their winning start in the Premier League with an unnecessarily complicated 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
The champions looked to be cruising to victory after early goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put them in complete control at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The mood changed dramatically early in the second half when Rodri was dismissed for violent conduct after raising his hands towards the neck of Morgan Gibbs-White.
The game became fractious and City lost some of their discipline before manager Pep Guardiola switched to a defensive shape to secure the three points.
It was City’s sixth win in succession at the start of their latest title defence but the price of Rodri’s indiscretion is yet to be seen. The influential Spaniard now faces a three-game ban which will include a trip to Arsenal next month.
That City made such hard work of victory was extraordinary given their dominant and untroubled start.
Julian Alvarez had already forced a good save from Matt Turner from a free-kick when they pieced together a remarkable 46-pass move that led to the opening goal inside seven minutes.
The hosts built patiently before Rodri caught out the Forest defence with a superb crossfield ball to pick out Kyle Walker’s run into the box. The England full-back’s touch was equally brilliant as he laid off to Foden with a cushioned volley. Foden then did the rest with a clinical strike.
City doubled their lead seven minutes later, this time after a Matheus Nunes run down the right.
The Portuguese reached the byline and then centred perfectly for Haaland, scorer of a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season, to head home from close range.
In spite of some rumblings about the high volume of chances the Norwegian had missed in his previous two games, it was his eighth goal in nine appearances.
Forest’s first serious attack ended when Taiwo Awoniyi was tripped on the edge of the area by Manuel Akanji. Both the Swiss and Guardiola – for his protestations – were booked but Gibbs-White’s free-kick came to nothing.
Alvarez twice went close to adding to City’s lead before the break as he forced another save from Turner before being denied by a good block from Willy Boly.
City’s control temporarily evaporated within minutes of the restart when Rodri got involved in a tussle with Gibbs-White by the corner flag.
The pair came face to face as the situation escalated and, amid the pushing and shoving, Rodri placed his hands close to Gibbs-White’s neck. The Forest midfielder ended up on the ground and referee Anthony Taylor showed the red card in Rodri’s direction.
City were unsettled and moments later Ederson and Awoniyi were booked after clashing in the area.
Guardiola settled his side by sacrificing Jeremy Doku and Alvarez for Kalvin Phillips and Nathan Ake.
Forest battled on but did not look like scoring until Anthony Elanga and Boly tested Ederson in injury time.
Haaland could have added a third for City but volleyed over after a good run by Ake.
There were further scuffles in the closing minutes with Jack Grealish – returning from injury as a late substitute – involved but City saw it out.
Man City star Foden scoops Premier League Player of the Year award
Phil Foden has been named the Premier League's Player of the Year, having been sensational for Manchester City this season.
Foden has scored 17 goals and provided a further eight assists in the top flight in 2023-24.
The 23-year-old has been pivotal in City's quest to win an unprecedented fourth Premier League title.
Pep Guaridola's team head into their final game of the season, in which they face West Ham at home, needing a win to guarantee the crown.
Only six players have bettered Foden's goal tally, with the attacker enjoying his most profitable scoring season for City.
Foden's 17 goals have come from an expected goals figure of 10, suggesting his finishing has been way above what would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances he has had.
The England international, meanwhile, has had 99 shots, and leads City's squad for chances created (68).
"To win this award is an achievement that I am extremely proud of," Foden told Man City's official website.
"Overall, I've been very happy with the way I have played this season and really pleased that I have been able to contribute with the goals and assists throughout the season.
"I'd like to thank all of the City staff, coaches and especially my teammates because without them this wouldn’t be possible.
"And I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for me as the award means a lot."
It is the fifth season in a row that a City player has won the award, with Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20, 2021-22), Ruben Dias (2020-21) and Erling Haaland (2022-23) having scooped it previously.
Elneny to leave Arsenal following eight-year stint
Mohamed Elneny has confirmed he will be leaving Arsenal after the Gunners' final game of the season.
Elneny is Arsenal's longest-serving player, having joined the Gunners from Swiss side FC Basel in January 2016.
Signed by Arsene Wenger, the Egypt international has played under three managers, having also appeared for Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.
On Friday, the midfielder confirmed via a video on X (formerly Twitter) that his stint in north London was coming to an end.
"Gooners, I'm here today to send you a message, to say goodbye and thank you for everything you've done for me," Elneny said in a video posted on X on Friday.
"The love, the support and the kindness. I'm really going to miss you so much and you'll be in my heart forever."
Elneny has played 161 times for the Gunners, who face Everton at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Arteta's team need to win if they are stand a chance of beating Manchester City to the Premier League trophy.
Fiorentina 2-2 Napoli: Kvaratskhelia keeps visitors' slim European hopes alive
Dethroned Italian champions Napoli's hopes of playing European football next season are hanging by a thread after they played out a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday.
Napoli took the lead in the eighth minute through defender Amir Rrahmani, who nodded home a corner by Matteo Politano.
Cristiano Biraghi levelled for Fiorentina in the 40th minute from a free-kick, before M'Bala Nzola put the hosts in front two minutes later when he fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia responded with another stunning free-kick early in the second half to rescue a point for his team.
Eighth-placed Fiorentina, on 54 points and with a game in hand, are five points behind Lazio in seventh.
They can still earn a Europa League spot either by leapfrogging the Rome side or by winning the Europa Conference League final in which they face Greece's Olympiakos on May 29.
Ninth-placed Napoli, on 52 points, still have a slim chance of making the Europa Conference League playoffs.
Data Debrief
Fiorentina left-back Biraghi has now scored six goals from direct free-kicks since the start of 2021-22, which is behind only James Ward-Prowse (seven) - now of West Ham and formerly of Southampton - as the most across Europe's top five leagues in that period.
Kvaratskhelia also levelled via a direct free-kick, making this the first Serie A match in which both teams scored via that route since Fiorentina against Lazio in April 2018 (Jordan Veretout and Luis Alberto in that case).
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