Salah fires Liverpool 16 points clear, Forest beat Man City

NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom: Nottingham Forest dealt a major blow to Manchester City’s bid to qualify for the Champions League as Callum Hudson-Odoi’s late winner sealed a 1-0 victory in the top four shoot-out on Saturday.
City have been reduced to battling for a place in next season’s Champions League after a dismal campaign.
Even that usually routine target is far from assured for Guardiola’s men following their ninth league defeat this term.
With six titles in the past seven seasons, City have rarely had to worry about their place in the Premier League’s top four in the Pep Guardiola era.
Yet they left the City Ground looking anxiously over their shoulders after a first league loss to Forest since 1997.
Fifth-placed Chelsea, just one point adrift of City, will go above the champions if they beat lowly Leicester on Sunday.
Finishing fifth could still be enough for City to reach Europe’s elite club competition depend on the results of the English clubs who remain in continental competitions this term.
For City to achieve that modest goal, they will have to significantly improve on the latest limp display in a turbulent season.
Third-placed Forest are four points clear of City thanks to only their third win in their last eight league games.
Enjoying a fairytale season just a year after battling relegation, the former European champions are closing on a berth in the Champions League for the first time since 1980-81.
After Forest’s former defender Stuart Pearce was rushed to hospital having been taken ill on a flight this week, his old club displayed a big screen message reading ‘Get Well Soon Stuart’, after three minutes of the Premier League game, recognizing Pearce’s old shirt number three.
Forest were able to draw on the ultra-aggressive Pearce’s trademark fire and brimstone in a stirring finale that followed a tepid first half.
Nico Gonzalez fired just wide from 25 yards as City tried in vain to seize the initiative in a nervous start from both teams.
The unseasonably sunny weather by the banks of the River Trent gave a soporific feel to what should have been a high-tempo clash with so much at stake.
City went close when Josko Gvardiol picked out Phil Foden, whose goal-bound shot was blocked by Nicolas Dominguez, before Bernardo Silva wastefully fired over with Erling Haaland unmarked and waiting for a pass that never came.
Jeremy Doku’s strike forced Forest keeper Matz Sels into action for the first time.
But a woeful effort from Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White finished closer to the corner flag than the goal, an ugly misfire in keeping with the scrappy fare.
Anthony Elanga crossed to the far post where Dominguez’s volley finally forced Ederson to make a save soon after the interval.
Guardiola sent on Omar Marmoush, Kevin De Bruyne, Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic in a bid to spark City into life.
The changes didn’t have the desired effect as Forest found late momentum.
Ederson made a fine save, turning Hudson-Odoi’s curler onto the post.
De Bruyne’s free-kick was saved by Sels, but Hudson-Odoi stole the points as the City Ground erupted in the 83rd minute.
Gibbs-White conjured an inch-perfect pass to Hudson-Odoi and the forward cut inside before drilling a superb strike past Ederson’s weak attempted save at the near post.

LOS ANGELES: The Cleveland Cavaliers staged a dramatic late rally to stretch their unbeaten streak to 13 games with a nail-biting 118-117 over the lowly Charlotte Hornets in the NBA on Friday.

Charlotte, buoyed by a stellar 46-point display from Miles Bridges, looked ready to score a massive upset after opening up a nine-point lead with just over five minutes remaining.

But Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland, who this week became the first team to punch their ticket to the postseason, rallied superbly to claw their way back into the game.

A sensational Evan Mobley three-pointer tied it for the Cavs at 106-106 with just over two minutes remaining, before Donovan Mitchell put the Cavs into a winning position with six straight free throws.

Mitchell led the scoring for Cleveland with 24 points while Darius Garland finished with 20 and Mobley 19 as the Cavs improved to 53-10. Cleveland lead the East by eight games.

Bridges almost single-handedly inspired Charlotte to what would have been a remarkable upset. Only two other Hornets players finished with double figures as Charlotte fell to 14-48 to remain one place off the bottom of the table.

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said his team’s determination to dig out victory augured well for the looming playoff campaign.

“Thirteen in a row — I think yes, we’re in a good groove,” Atkinson said.

“We’ve had to scratch and claw these last couple of games, which is great for playoff prep — playing in some tight games and having to execute at the end of the game.

“Our group’s in a really good place. It did feel like our energy was a little bit down, but when our energy’s high it’s really tough to beat us.”

In the Western Conference, meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their lead at the top of the standings after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 107-89.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault could afford to rest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, but they were still too strong for an outgunned Blazers line-up.

Aaron Wiggins led the Oklahoma City scoring with 30 points while Jaylin Williams posted his first career triple-double with 11 rebounds, 11 assists and 10 points.

OKC improved to 52-11 and lead the West by 11 games from the second-placed Los Angeles Lakers.

In Denver, Nikola Jokic made history en route to equalling his career-high tally of triple-doubles for a season as the Nuggets downed the Phoenix Suns 149-141 in an overtime thriller.

Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 31 points, 21 rebounds and 22 assists to complete his 29th triple of the season. It marked the first time ever a player has scored more than 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists in a single game.

The Suns, desperately needing a victory as they chase a place in the play-in tournament, rallied back brilliantly from 21 points down in the third quarter to tie it up when Kevin Durant drained a three-pointer on the buzzer.

But Jokic took over in overtime to close out a victory that leaves the Nuggets third in the West on 41-22.

Elsewhere, the Memphis Grizzlies halted their four-game skid with a 122-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without the injured Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.

Ja Morant sparked the Grizzlies with 31 points, while Desmond Bane added 27 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.

The Grizzlies are fourth in the West with a 39-24 record while Dallas fell to 32-32.

In Miami, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ balanced offense was enough to secure a 106-104 victory over the Heat, with seven T’Wolves players finishing in double figures.