Liam Delap led the charge as Nottingham Forest produced a spirited performance to beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground on Saturday, handing the visitors their third consecutive Premier League defeat and dealing another blow to their title ambitions.
Delap was the standout performer, scoring twice as Forest secured a memorable victory over Enzo Maresca’s side, who have now suffered an alarming dip in form after an impressive start to the campaign.
Forest took the lead in the sixth minute when defender Jair Cunha capitalised on a defensive lapse in the City backline to put the hosts ahead. The Brazilian’s strike was also a significant moment for Forest, marking their first home goal in the Premier League this season after failing to score in their previous four attempts.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 18th minute through Delap, who found the net to give Forest a commanding first-half lead. The forward’s goal was his first at the City Ground since joining the club from Chelsea in the summer.
City struggled to respond before the break but returned with greater urgency after the interval, reducing the deficit through Rayan Cherki in the 52nd minute to give the visitors hope of salvaging something from the encounter.
However, Forest refused to surrender their advantage, with Delap putting the result beyond doubt with a superb late finish. Released by Morgan Gibbs-White following a swift counter-attacking move, the striker produced an excellent strike beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma to complete his brace.
The goal sparked jubilant celebrations among the Forest bench, with head coach Oliver Glasner joining his players in celebrating the forward’s decisive contribution. Delap has now scored three goals for the club since his summer arrival.
City Suffer Rare Three-Game Losing Streak
Manchester City entered the encounter seeking to recover from successive defeats against Aston Villa and Brighton but were unable to arrest their slide, suffering three consecutive losses in the Premier League for the first time since November 2024.
Then under Pep Guardiola, the Cityzens endured a particularly difficult period in November and December 2024, losing four successive league matches against Bournemouth, Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool before returning to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on December 4.
The latest defeat therefore represents another worrying spell for City, who had won their opening seven league matches of the season and appeared to be establishing an early advantage in the title race.
Their defensive shortcomings were particularly costly against Forest, with mistakes allowing the hosts to establish a two-goal cushion before Cherki’s intervention briefly threatened to change the direction of the contest.
Forest Climb Out of Relegation Zone as Arsenal Pull Clear
The result represents a significant boost for Forest, who had endured a difficult start to the campaign and were struggling at the bottom side of the table. Their first home league victory of the season lifts them out of the relegation zone and provides Glasner with an important result as he looks to stabilise the team.
The victory was particularly important given Forest’s struggles at the City Ground, where they had gone without a league win before Saturday’s encounter. Beating one of the leading sides in the division could provide the confidence needed to turn their season around.
For City, however, the defeat leaves them with plenty of questions to answer. Their inability to recover from defensive errors and their vulnerability to Forest’s counter-attacks proved costly, extending a losing run that few would have anticipated after their opening seven victories.
The result also has implications at the top of the table. Arsenal had earlier secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Hull City through Martin Odegaard’s 72nd-minute strike, taking their points tally to 27 from 10 matches.
City consequently remain on 21 points, six behind the league leaders, having surrendered valuable ground following defeats to Aston Villa, Brighton and now Forest. Their impressive start, which had seen them win their first seven league fixtures, is increasingly becoming a distant memory.
With Arsenal building momentum in the title race, Maresca’s side will need an immediate response to prevent the gap from widening further.
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