Liam Delap scored twice against the club that raised him as Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground on 7 November, handing Enzo Maresca’s side a third straight Premier League defeat and leaving them six points behind Arsenal going into the international break.
It was also Forest’s first home league win of the season, and it came in fog that drifted over the City Ground all evening.
Two goals in 18 minutes
Forest were ahead inside six minutes. Jair Cunha, a centre-back, stepped in to take the ball off Josko Gvardiol, carried it forward and rolled it into the bottom corner past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The second came in the 18th minute. Xaver Schlager won a 50-50 challenge against Elliot Anderson and released Delap, who ran from the halfway line before finishing past Donnarumma.
City had chances to settle the game down before half-time. Enzo Fernández headed over from close range after a Marc Guéhi cross, and Erling Haaland rounded Matz Sels only for Cunha to clear off the line.
Cherki’s strike, then the sucker punch
Maresca took off Guéhi and Gvardiol at the break and sent on Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly. Seven minutes into the second half Rayan Cherki met a clearance with a half-volley that flew in, and for a spell City looked the likelier side. Haaland curled one just past the top corner.
The pressure left space behind. In the 73rd minute Morgan Gibbs-White sent Delap away on the counter, Nunes could not get a foot in, and Delap’s shot went in off the post.
Delap spent ten years in City’s academy before leaving for Ipswich in 2019. He had one goal in his first eight games for Forest; these were his first at the City Ground.
“As a striker it’s the most important thing [to score goals] – the only thing you’re judged on,” Delap told BBC Match of the Day. “Got to keep performing and improving but today I’m happy.”
Oliver Glasner, who sprinted down the touchline to join the celebrations for the third, said of his celebration: “One of my best running stats, I guess.”
What it means at the top
City won their first seven league games and have now lost three in a row, to Aston Villa, Brighton and Forest. According to BBC Sport, they are the second team in English top-flight history, after Sheffield Wednesday in 1904-05, to win their first seven games of a season and then lose the next three. It is also City’s first run of three straight Premier League defeats since a run of four in November and December 2024.
“First half we didn’t match intensity or win duels or second balls,” Maresca told BBC Match of the Day. “No panic. We need to understand but no panic.”
Arsenal are top on 27 points after a 1-0 win over Hull City at the Emirates earlier on Saturday. Martin Ødegaard scored the winner in the 72nd minute.
City are second on 21. Brighton, third on 19 with a game in hand, host Brentford at 10pm Singapore time on Sunday and would go above City with a win.
Forest climb to 16th on nine points, level with Coventry.
Next up
After the break City host Fulham at the Etihad on 21 November (8.30pm SGT). Forest go to Bournemouth the same day (11pm SGT), and Arsenal visit Newcastle at 1.30am SGT on 22 November.
