Man City v Forest player ratings: De Bruyne silences doubters and three stars reach 8/10

Kevin De Bruyne produced a Man of the Match performance as Manchester City ended a seven-game wait for a win against Nottingham Forest.

In a game the Premier League champions simply had to win, City opened the scoring after just seven minutes when De Bruyne's on-target header was swept away from close range by Bernardo Silva.

The Belgian, starting his first game since September, continued to be at the heart of everything positive for Guardiola's side and scored a goal of his own on the half-hour mark.

Still hurting from last week's late collapse against Feyenoord, they were unable to rest on their laurels in the second half, with Jeremy Doku scoring a stylish third goal shortly after the restart.

And to Pep Guardiola's delight, there was a clean sheet to match, meaning City tasted victory for the first time since late October.

Express Sport distributes player ratings from City's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest…

Stefan Ortega – 8/10

Maintaining his place between the sticks in front of No.1 goalkeeper Ederson, the German made a superb save from the right-hander to keep City in the lead with the score still 1-0.

Akanji Manual – 7/10

Swept well down the right side of City's defense throughout the first half, but was hooked on the break. Guardiola will be crossing all his fingers and hoping that this is not another serious injury problem for one of his key defenders.

Rubén Dias – 7/10

It wasn't necessarily noticeable, but for a City defense that has been so shaky at times in recent weeks, it was probably a good thing. His experience and leadership in defense were crucial for the hosts.

Nathan Ake – 7/10

Operating in the center of defense instead of at left-back, the Netherlands international looked confident whenever called upon. He was hobbled late due to a suspected muscle injury.

Josko Gvardiol – 6/10

Another frustrating evening of work for the Croatian. I could have and probably should have scored two goals in the first half, while a sloppy error almost led to Forest's equalizer midway through the first half. Recovered quite well in the second period.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10

Has been much maligned in recent weeks, but City's treble-winning captain recalled his best transfer before Barcelona against Forest. Benefited from the extra legs around him in midfield and kept things tidy with the ball.

Bernardo Silva – 7/10

The scoring started in the first 45 minutes and didn't look back from that point on. Selfless with his work rate off the ball, he will likely be crucial to any post-crisis comeback the Manchester-based side are able to muster.

Kevin De Bruyne – 9/10

Silence any doubts that may have arisen over the past few weeks with a masterclass from the heart of the midfielder. Equipped with the creative spark that City lacked for most of the season, he was rewarded with a goal and an assist. Replaced 70 minutes by a standing ovation from the city's faithful.

Jack Grealish – 8/10

Deployed centrally rather than out wide and added some much-needed bounce to City's midfield. Popped up with a crucial block in his own penalty area in the first half. It also helped the offense stick with the defense.

Jeremy Doku – 8/10

He lit things up on the bench against Liverpool this weekend and was introduced into the starting XI as a result. He repaid his manager's faith with a goal and an assist, displaying the end product his game previously lacked.

Erling Haaland – 6/10

An unusually calm evening for the Norwegian striker. Was kept quiet by the Forest backline, but his movement and build-up play helped create space for his teammates. It has now been three Premier League matches without a goal.

Kyle Walker (sub) – 6/10

Entering the break, he made no mistake. Still a few minutes in the legs for the England international after a stop-start season.

Rico Lewis (sub) – 6/10

Replaced De Bruyne 20 minutes from time. Things continued to spin in the middle of the park.

Matheus Nunes (sub) – N/A

James McAtee (sub) – N/A

Savinho (sub) – N/A