Nottingham Forest stunned Manchester City with two goals inside the opening 18 minutes at the City Ground on Saturday, as Jair Cunha and Liam Delap punished the champions before Rayan Cherki pulled one back to leave the game finely poised at 2-1.
City arrived in Nottingham six points behind leaders Arsenal, who had earlier ground out a 1-0 win over Hull City, and in desperate need of a response. Instead, they were two down before the game had even settled, and the City Ground was rocking.
It was the earliest Manchester City have trailed 2-0 in a Premier League match since November 2019, and the manner of both goals will have horrified Enzo Maresca.
Cunha ends Forest’s home drought
The opener arrived in the sixth minute, and it ended a drought that had haunted Forest all season. The hosts had not scored a league goal at the City Ground for 512 minutes, a run stretching back to the final game of last season, and it was ended by the most unlikely source.
Brazilian centre-back Jair Cunha pounced on a catastrophic error from Josko Gvardiol, charged through the middle of the City defence and calmly slotted past Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was the defender’s first league goal of his career, and the roar that greeted it told you everything about how long Forest fans had waited for a home goal.
Cunha was not done there either. With three minutes of the first half remaining, Erling Haaland finally found space, rounded Matz Sels and shaped to roll the ball into an empty net, only for Cunha to slide in and clear off the line. The Brazilian was Forest’s hero at both ends.
Delap punishes his former club
If the first goal was a shock, the second was a statement. In the 18th minute, Liam Delap picked the ball up just inside his own half, drove forward unchallenged and thumped an unstoppable strike past Donnarumma.
It was Delap’s first goal for Forest at the City Ground, and it came against his former club, the side where he came through the academy before leaving to make his name elsewhere. Xaver Schlager claimed the assist, but this was all about Delap’s power and conviction.
City were shell-shocked. Forest, with former City men James McAtee and Delap both starting alongside Morgan Gibbs-White, looked hungrier in every duel, and the champions had no answer in the opening half-hour.
Cherki gives City hope
The champions did at least find a way back into the contest early in the second half. Rayan Cherki, one of the brightest sparks in City’s attack, struck in the 52nd minute to make it 2-1 and set up a tense finish at the City Ground, as USA Today reported.
At the time of writing, Forest still lead 2-1, and the final half-hour promises a stern test of the hosts’ nerve. City have the firepower to rescue the game, but Forest have already shown they can hurt them, and the home crowd will demand a famous result.
What it means for the title race
Whatever happens in the closing stages, this is already a damaging afternoon for City’s title hopes. Arsenal moved six points clear with their narrow win over Hull, and dropping points at the City Ground would leave Maresca’s side with a mountain to climb before the international break.
For Forest, the afternoon is about more than three points. Ending that 512-minute home goal drought in such spectacular fashion, against the champions, could be the moment their season turns. The other results on Saturday already shook up the table, with Leeds beating Tottenham 1-0 earlier in the day, and Forest will want to add their own name to the list of surprise winners.
The November international break follows this weekend, which makes the timing even more significant. City will spend the fortnight picking over another slow start, while Forest can build on a performance full of belief. As Sky Sports noted, Arsenal have now opened a six-point gap at the top, and the pressure on City to respond after the break will be enormous.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Forest did not just score twice in 18 minutes, they exposed the champions. City’s defending for both goals was careless, their midfield was overrun, and only Cherki’s reply saved them from a humiliation. If Maresca cannot fix these slow starts, the title race will be over before Christmas. Forest, meanwhile, have announced themselves as a side nobody should take lightly.
Can Forest hold on for a famous win, or will City find a way back? Let us know what you think in the comments.
