Forest 3-1 Manchester City: Delap double sinks sloppy City at the City Ground
Nottingham Forest produced a stunning display to beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground, a result that lifts some of the gloom at the bottom end of the table while piling further pressure on a City side now on a three-match losing run. The Guardian notes that City had won their first seven games of the season but "always looked vulnerable" (The Guardian), and this defeat was their third league loss in a row.
The home side made the perfect start when Jair Cunha fired a cool finish into the bottom corner after just six minutes, as Sky Sports described it, giving Forest an early lead. Forest doubled their advantage on 18 minutes through Liam Delap, who was set up by Xaver Schlager on a fast break, with Sky Sports noting City were sloppy in the build-up. City pulled one back just after the hour when Rayan Cherki curled a left-footed effort into the top corner to make it 2-1. The game was settled in the 73rd minute when Delap completed his double, again breaking at pace and finishing from the left side of the box after being teed up by Morgan Gibbs-White, as Sky Sports reported City made it THREE for Forest. The BBC called it a "superb double" from Delap in a performance that stunned City (BBC Sport).
It was a game of four yellow cards for Forest and none for City. James McAtee was booked for a bad foul before being replaced by Dan Ndoye, who himself picked up a yellow shortly after coming on. Luca Netz and substitute Igor Jesus were also cautioned deep into stoppage time as Forest saw the game out.
Statistically it was an unusual win for Forest, who had just 22% of the possession compared to City's 78%, and were outpassed heavily, yet were clinical going forward with 11 shots to City's 12 and five of those on target. Sky Sports summed up the afternoon as Delap ending a City Ground goal drought in style as City slipped to a third straight defeat (Sky Sports).
Attention turned to the individual performances afterwards, with the BBC's player ratings piece highlighting "Delightful Delap" among the home side's standout contributors (BBC Sport). The Nottingham Post was similarly effusive, reporting that Forest handed out two 9/10 ratings as the Reds "clinch huge victory over Man City" in what was described as their first home win of the season. Sky Sports also carried highlights of the match, summing up the scoreline as Nottingham Forest 3-1 Manchester City in their Premier League coverage.
For Forest, the win offers a timely boost after a difficult run of results and will be seen as a platform to build from at the City Ground. For City, it is a third consecutive league defeat and a result that will raise questions after such a strong start to the campaign, with Pep's side needing to respond quickly to arrest the slide.
Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
