Liam Delap Double Secures 3-1 Nottingham Forest Win Over Manchester City

Liam Delap scored in the 18th and 74th minutes as Nottingham Forest defeated Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest defeated Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground on Saturday, marking the first time in two years City has lost three consecutive Premier League matches. Forest forward Liam Delap scored twice, finding the net in the 18th minute and again in the 74th minute to secure the victory. Jair Cunha opened the scoring for the hosts in the 6th minute after dispossessing Josko Gvardiol. Rayan Cherki provided City’s lone goal in the second half, striking into the top left corner following a Jérémy Doku cross.

The result moved Oliver Glasner’s side out of the relegation zone and pushed Manchester United into the bottom three. Manchester City, managed by Enzo Maresca, trailed at halftime for a third straight league game, a sequence the club has not experienced since 2007. Despite the loss, City remains in second place, though they now trail league leaders Arsenal by six points.

Statistically, this match represented the first time since September 2019 that City conceded three goals to a team that started the day in the bottom three. Forest entered the contest with only one win from their opening nine games and had not won a league match since April. Delap, a former City player who joined Forest from Chelsea for a club-record fee, had only scored once in his previous eight appearances before his two-goal performance on Saturday.