Nottingham Forest ended Manchester City’s hopes of recovering from their recent poor form with a convincing 3-1 victory over Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League on Saturday.
Liam Delap scored twice to inspire Forest to their first home league victory of the season, while Jair Cunha and Rayan Cherki also found the net in an entertaining encounter at the City Ground.
Forest made a flying start and took the lead in the sixth minute when Cunha dispossessed Josko Gvardiol before advancing into the penalty area and calmly beating goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 19th minute after Delap capitalised on a defensive misunderstanding between former Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye.
The striker raced towards goal before unleashing a powerful effort beyond Donnarumma.
Manchester City struggled to respond before the break, although Enzo Fernandez missed a good opportunity to reduce the deficit when he headed Marc Guehi’s cross over the bar.
Erling Haaland also came close but saw his effort cleared off the line by Cunha.
City pulled one back seven minutes into the second half through Cherki, who fired a superb half-volley into the top corner from the edge of the box after Jeremy Doku’s cross was deflected into his path.
The visitors pushed for an equaliser, with Haaland narrowly missing the target, but Forest restored their two-goal cushion in the 73rd minute.
Delap initiated a swift counter-attack before exchanging passes with Morgan Gibbs-White and finishing emphatically off the post.
The victory ended Forest’s five-match winless run and handed them their first Premier League home win since April.
For City, the defeat marked their third consecutive loss in the league, further deepening their struggles this season.
The result also sent Manchester United into the Premier League’s bottom three.
