Nottingham Forest produced a shocking performance which saw them go ahead to beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground at claim a valuable three points.
Liam Delap scored twice, while Jair Cunha also found the net to give Oliver Glasner’s side a memorable Premier League victory.
Rayan Cherki scored City’s only goal, but it was not enough to prevent Enzo Maresca’s team from suffering their third consecutive league defeat.
The result was particularly important for Forest, who had struggled to score at home in the Premier League this season.
However, they delivered when it mattered most, punishing City’s defensive mistakes and making the most of their attacking opportunities.
Nottingham Forest made a dream start in front of their supporters and took the lead after just six minutes.
Jair Cunha was the man who opened the scoring after taking advantage of a mistake from Manchester City defender Joško Gvardiol.
Cunha won the ball, drove forward and fired a powerful effort past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to make it 1-0.
City tried to respond immediately, with Jeremy Doku creating an opportunity inside the box. However, his effort was blocked by Nikola Milenković before it could trouble the goalkeeper.
Forest remained dangerous on the counterattack. Daniel Munoz later broke forward and found James McAtee, but the former City midfielder sent his shot straight at Donnarumma.
City’s problems increased in the 18th minute when Forest doubled their advantage. Xaver Schlager won possession following a mix-up involving Iliman Ndiaye and Elliot Anderson.
The ball reached Liam Delap, who drove towards goal before firing past Donnarumma to make it 2-0. Delap’s goal gave Forest a comfortable advantage, while City struggled to find a way through their opponents’ defence.
The visitors went into the half-time break two goals behind, with Forest enjoying an excellent first-half performance which had their work half way done.
Manchester City returned for the second half with changes as Nico O’Reilly replaced Gvardiol, while Matheus Nunes came on for Marc Guehi.
The changes helped City improve their attacking play, and they pulled one goal back in the 52nd minute.
Rayan Cherki produced an excellent finish, connecting with the ball on the half-volley from outside the penalty area to make it 2-1.
His goal gave Manchester City renewed hope of getting something from the match. City continued to push forward, and Erling Haaland had a big opportunity to equalise five minutes later.
The Norwegian striker found space inside the box but sent his effort over the crossbar when he should have done better.
Doku also came close after cutting inside and attempting to play the ball across to Haaland. His effort took a deflection and nearly wrong-footed Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels, who eventually gathered the ball.
Forest also threatened at the other end. Ryan Yates had an effort deflected onto the top of the crossbar after Enzo Fernandez lost possession near his own penalty area.
City’s hopes of completing a comeback suffered another major setback in the 73rd minute when Nottingham Forest scored their third goal.
Morgan Gibbs-White led a quick attack, driving towards the City defence before setting up Delap. The striker produced another powerful finish, this time with his left foot, sending the ball into the top corner to make it 3-1.
It was Delap’s second goal of the match and a brilliant performance from the former City player against his old club. Forest continued to defend well and refused to allow Manchester City back into the game.
Delap was eventually substituted in the 86th minute and received a standing ovation from the home supporters. City tried to create more opportunities in the closing stages, but Forest remained organised until the final whistle.
The encounter finished with Nottingham Forest claiming a massive 3-1 victory against Manchester City to claim all three points after 90 minutes of action played.
The 3-1 victory gives Forest an important boost after a difficult start to their Premier League campaign. More importantly, the result ended their wait for a home league goal this season.
For City, the defeat is another major setback. Enzo Maresca’s team have now lost three consecutive Premier League matches after winning their opening seven games of the campaign.
Nottingham Forest will head into the international break with an important victory for themselves, while Manchester City will look to comeback strong when the League season resumes action.
