Nottingham Forest produced the result of the Premier League season so far, beating Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground to climb out of the relegation zone — and Liam Delap, the striker City let go, scored twice to do the damage.
Forest were two goals up inside 18 minutes and never let go. Jair Cunha punished a Josko Gvardiol error to open the scoring in the sixth minute, ending Forest's 512-minute wait for a home goal, and Delap then drove 50 yards from his own half to blast past Gianluigi Donnarumma for 2-0. NBC Sports' live coverage captured both moments as City errors, not Forest luck — and the second half followed the same pattern.
Rayan Cherki dragged City back into it seven minutes after the restart with a superb half-volley, and for a while the title contenders looked like they might rescue something. But Forest broke again in the 73rd minute, Morgan Gibbs-White carrying the ball through a retreating City defence before feeding Delap, who smashed his finish in off the post. It was the goal that settled it, and the City Ground knew it.
Two goals in 18 minutes — and a lead never surrendered
The opening was a shock to the system for Pep Guardiola's side. Cunha's goal came from Gvardiol being caught in possession, the defender driving through the middle and finishing calmly — his first goal for the club. Delap's followed 12 minutes later, the former City academy striker picking the ball up deep, surging past challenges and finishing with power. As we reported at the time, it was the earliest City had trailed 2-0 in a Premier League match since November 2019.
City did respond. Erling Haaland danced past Matz Sels only for Cunha to block his effort, and Cherki's strike early in the second half was a goal of real quality, Jeremy Doku's cross falling for the Frenchman to rifle home — The Times' live blog called it a peach of a half-volley. But Forest refused to fold. Gibbs-White's break for the third goal was the moment of the match — direct, fearless, and finished by a striker who had spent the afternoon running at the club where he came through the academy.
Glasner's statement win
For Oliver Glasner, this was a statement. Forest started the day 19th in the table, winless at home and without a goal at the City Ground since the final game of last season. They end it out of the relegation zone, with a win over the champions that changes the entire mood around the club heading into the international break. Delap left the field in the 89th minute to a huge ovation, replaced by Igor Jesus after two finishes that reminded everyone why Forest broke their transfer record for him.
Delap's performance will dominate the headlines — a club-record signing from Chelsea in August, scoring twice against the club where he came through the academy. But this was a team win: Cunha's goal and his goal-line block on Haaland, Gibbs-White's driving run for the third, and a defence that held firm when City threw everything at them after Cherki's goal.
So what: City's title race takes a real hit
For Manchester City, the damage is serious. Arsenal beat Hull City 1-0 earlier in the day to move six points clear, and City's failure to respond at the City Ground means that gap stays at six heading into the international break — with the leaders looking the more convincing side right now. It is also City's third straight Premier League defeat, after losing 2-1 at Aston Villa and 1-0 at Brighton, and the errors that cost them here — Gvardiol's for the first, the space afforded to Delap for the second — will be pored over for a fortnight.
For Forest, the win is transformational. Out of the bottom three, with a home crowd that finally has something to roar about, and with their record signing scoring twice on the biggest stage. The international break now feels like a reward rather than a rescue. If Glasner's side play like this after it, the relegation conversation around them changes completely.
Beyond the Final Whistle: This was not a smash-and-grab — Forest were the better side for long stretches and won the game in both boxes. Delap scoring twice against the club that raised him is the story, but the real story is a team that looked beaten before kick-off refusing to believe it. City's title defence has a genuine problem now: they are six points behind Arsenal and have just been outfought by a side fighting for survival. Can Forest build on this after the break, or was this a one-off afternoon? Have your say in the comments.
