THE NOTEBOOK: Kyle Walker files pitch complaint before Manchester City win, while referee animosity persisted after Forest statement, as home fans protest rising ticket prices.

Manchester City maintained their fight for the Premier League title after beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 to move just one point behind current leaders Arsenal.

Erling Haaland marked his return to action with a second-half goal to secure City’s victory and ensure their fate remains in their own hands.

Haaland coolly slotted into the bottom corner shortly after coming on, while Josko Gvardiol made the breakthrough after heading in Kevin De Bruyne’s corner.

City have a game in hand against Arsenal and had to work hard for victory on the banks of the River Trent, with Forest wasting several golden opportunities.

Here, sport mailJACK GAUGHAN takes you through some of the stories you may have missed from the City Ground…

Erling Haaland marked his return with a goal as City moved just one point behind leaders Arsenal.

WALKER LAUNCH COMPLAINT

Nottingham Forest certainly made life difficult for Manchester City, and the visiting captain had a theory of how they wanted to gain an advantage before the ball was kicked.

Kyle Walker was seen making a complaint to the Premier League match director on the pitch in what is understood to have been a complaint about the state of the surface.

Walker’s concerns were that the grass was too dry (City are better when the pitches are slippery) and they certainly found it difficult to retain possession quickly. However, Forest had obviously done nothing wrong.

Kyle Walker filed a fielding complaint with the officials before the ball was even kicked.

FOREST FURY OVER PRICES

The furor over season ticket prices has hit almost every Premier League club in recent weeks and Forest are no different. His supporters group criticized the decision to increase prices by up to 28 per cent in some areas of the City Ground.

Forest met with groups of fans last week ahead of their first home game since the announcement, while ‘Forza Garibaldi’ decided not to stage their usual pre-match display at the Trent End in protest. The only (small) sign at that end read “Premier League, for the few, not for the many”, in reference to the club’s general discontent.

ARBITRATION HANGOVER

It took 16 minutes for the hosts to realize the refereeing corruption after a penalty shout was deflected by Simon Hooper when Ederson collided with Willy Boly. That soon turned into venturing that Hooper didn’t know what he was doing when he fouled Jack Grealish.

That animosity was a hangover from the controversy surrounding Stuart Attwell at Everton – and that Forest statement – ​​with the club devoting a thick paragraph of their program’s ‘match report’ from Goodison Park to Anthony Taylor’s performance.

Referee Simon Hooper was the subject of chants of corruption after rejecting a penalty shout.

PEP’S LEGACY

Who thought Pep Guardiola would reach this milestone when he arrived fresh and dressed eight years ago?

The Catalan now has 300 Premier League games left (221 wins), and is only the fifth coach to achieve that feat with a single club. Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, David Moyes and Jurgen Klopp complete the list.

It was only supposed to be a three-year assignment for Guardiola and it makes you wonder how this level of success could be replicated once he’s gone.

KEY STONES FOR THE COUNTRY

Gareth Southgate will be very interested in John Stones at the moment. The center back has only made 21 starts this season (12 in the League) and, given his importance to Guardiola, any time on the bench can only be due to his physical fitness.

While it’s not an exact science, City’s winning percentage with him is 81 percent and more than 10 percent lower when he’s not a starter. He gives a sort of frame and England need him fit.

John Stones has only made 21 starts for City this season, but England need him in top form