There had been little to split the sides before Hudson-Odoi's late goal, with the winger's powerful strike beating Ederson at his near post after he had been afforded too much space down the right.

Nico Gonzalez struck the post with a stunning long-range effort in the 14th minute, but that remained one of City's clearest opportunities.

Hudson-Odoi had also seen a low curler tipped onto the post by Ederson, who did well to get down sharply after it had squeezed through the crowd.

Mateo Kovacic could have snatched a point in the dying stages after latching on to Morgan Gibbs-White's skewed clearance, but he could only bend his shot just wide of the far post.

It was a welcome win for Forest, which ended a run of three games without a win.

It remains third on the table with 51 points, moving four clear of City, which could drop out of the top four if Chelsea avoids defeat against Leicester City on Monday (AEDT).

Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo who masterminded Forest's first win against City since a 3-0 away victory in the FA Cup in 2009, lauded his side's latest display.

"The organisation, the resilience, we know how hard it is to play City. We tried to give them nothing but it is always difficult," he said.

"It was a tough game, everybody saw how good Manchester City are. They had us on the ropes, but the boys worked very hard. Of course, they were going to have chances, but then it was then about us taking ours.

"It was good today. It started with Anthony [Elanga] and Chris [Wood] trying to cut the lines to give time to the back lines, but definitely a very good defensive display. We tried to block and then break through the middle with Anthony.

"The focus does not change. We are on to the next one, Ipswich. It [beating City] shows the progress of the squad but there is so much football to be played. Let's focus on the journey and move on to the next one."

Match-winner Hudson-Odoi echoed the thoughts of his manager, saying that despite the jubilant mood in the changing room, his team-mates must remain focused.

"It is crazy [in the dressing room]. A result like that against an amazing team is amazing for us. You could see through the game that we battled and fought for every ball. We had opportunities and took one. The changing room is going crazy," he said.

"It is a significant win but it is also another win. Every game is game by game, and we have to try and take three points.

"We know where we are in the table, but it is important to remain humble but also excited about what's to come. We know we are getting closer, and we are buzzing about that."

Pep Guardiola's side faces the likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion in its final 10 games of the season, and the City boss acknowledged the importance of being perfect in the run-in.

"We have 10 games to qualify, we have to win games to qualify, and we move on to the next one," he said. 

"We knew the game would be difficult. Every season the Premier League gets better and better. We have 10 finals and the next one we start."

Guardiola highlighted the difficulty of playing away against Nuno's side, but said his team should have been more clinical in front of goal in the vital moments.

"We controlled the long balls to [Chris] Wood and second balls in transition. But in the second half we lost once in transition and Hudson-Odoi finished it really well," he added.

"It is not easy to play against them. That is why they are where they are. We had three or four chances in the first half. In the second half it was a bit more tight.

"We conceded one chance in the near post, so in the end the balance was for them."