Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground on Saturday, handing City a third straight Premier League defeat and leaving them six points behind leaders Arsenal.
Liam Delap scored twice against his former club as Forest recorded their first home win of the season and climbed out of the relegation zone.
How Forest beat Manchester City 3-1
Forest struck twice in the first half. Jair Cunha opened the scoring in the sixth minute with his first goal for the club, ending Forest’s run of four home league games without a goal.
Delap doubled the lead in the 18th minute. City gave the ball away cheaply, and the striker drove forward from inside his own half before finishing past Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was his first goal at the City Ground since joining Forest.
Rayan Cherki gave City hope with a powerful strike in the 52nd minute. But Delap settled it in the 73rd, finishing a swift counter-attack after Morgan Gibbs-White set him free, and sent head coach Oliver Glasner sprinting down the touchline.
City gave the ball away for all three goals they conceded. Delap, who had scored only once in his opening eight league games this season, netted two fine strikes to carry his side to victory.
Maresca blames lack of intensity
City coach Enzo Maresca blamed the defeat on a lack of intensity in the first half.
“In the first half, when you don’t match the intensity, when you lose all the duels, it’s difficult, and then when we want to react, it’s too late,” Maresca told Sky Sports.
“In these kinds of games, first of all, you need to match the intensity. You need to try to win duels, otherwise, it’s always complicated. I think in the first half we were not good enough in terms of duels. Second balls, we lost all of them, and then when we try to react, we were 2-0 down, and in football, it’s always complicated.”
Delap said the goals had been coming after weeks of good performances without reward.
“It’s been coming, and we’ve been performing like that every week and not putting it in the net. Today we showed we can put them in the net so we’re all happy,” he said.
“We did everything right, we got the three points and we’re going to be happy going into the international break.”
Glasner praised the energy of his players and the crowd at the City Ground.
“It was a very good day to play Manchester City but, to be honest, today, the energy in the team and at the City Ground was so incredible that it would have been tough for every team in the world to play against us today,” he said.
“All the credit to the players and our fans for this amazing Saturday evening.”
City’s title hopes take a hit
The defeat leaves City six points behind Arsenal, who top the standings on 27 points after 10 games.
City won their first seven league games of the campaign. They have now lost three in a row, beaten 2-1 away by Aston Villa before losing 1-0 at home to Brighton. Feature Pakistan covered the Villa defeat and the Brighton loss, and the Forest result completes a miserable run of three defeats in three games.
The numbers are stark: it was the first time Forest have scored three goals against a side starting the day in the top two, and Delap is only the second player to score twice against City after playing for them, after Nicolas Anelka for Bolton in December 2006.
Forest moved up to 16th on nine points, out of the relegation zone, with their first league win at the City Ground since April.
City’s problems run deeper than one bad afternoon, and the club has also been fighting off the pitch.
For Forest, the win changes the mood: Delap showed he can lead the line, Cunha ended the home goal drought, and the crowd finally had a home win to celebrate. Arsenal keep setting the pace at the top, and City must chase a six-point gap.
Frequently asked questions
Who scored in Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win over Manchester City?
Jair Cunha scored in the sixth minute, Liam Delap scored in the 18th and 73rd minutes, and Rayan Cherki replied for City in the 52nd minute.
How many straight Premier League defeats have Manchester City suffered?
Three. They lost 2-1 at Aston Villa, 1-0 at home to Brighton, and 3-1 at Nottingham Forest, after winning their first seven league games.
How far behind Arsenal are Manchester City?
Six points. Arsenal lead the table on 27 points after 10 games, while City trail after their third straight defeat.
What did the win mean for Nottingham Forest?
It was their first home win of the season and their first league win at the City Ground since April, lifting them to 16th place on nine points and out of the relegation zone.
