Nottingham Forest secured a memorable Nottingham Forest win over Manchester City at the City Ground, with former City striker Liam Delap scoring twice in a 3-1 victory that condemned the visitors to a third consecutive Premier League defeat.
Delap Haunts Former Club
Delap, who left Manchester City earlier in his career, produced two thunderous finishes to bring the stadium to life. His double earned him a player rating of 9 from the BBC Sport reporter and an average user score of 9.02, making him the clear player of the match.
The striker’s first goal came after Jair Cunha had already given Forest the lead. The centre-back found himself in attack in the sixth minute, pounced on a loose ball and coolly rolled in the opener. Cunha also made a brilliant goal-line clearance at the other end and was rated 8.
City’s Defensive Woes Continue
Manchester City’s defensive problems were evident throughout. Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, Abdukodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol all received ratings of 4. Guehi was hooked at half-time, while Gvardiol was also substituted after being dispossessed by Cunha for Forest’s opener. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma fared little better, earning a 4 after another game without a clean sheet and three goals conceded.
City did pull one back through Rayan Cherki, whose stunning second-half finish beat Matz Sels. Cherki was one of the few City players to emerge with credit, rated 6. Elliot Anderson, returning to the City Ground, lost the midfield battle and was rated 5, while Enzo Fernandez also struggled and sent a close-range header over.
Forest’s Collective Effort
Forest’s performance was built on a solid team display. Nikola Milenkovic stood tall to block a Jeremy Doku strike early on, and Murillo helped keep Erling Haaland quiet. Neco Williams and Daniel Munoz were both rated 7, with Munoz doing well to contain Doku. Xaver Schlager provided the assist for the second goal, and James McAtee had a very good game against his former club.
Captain Ryan Yates, however, was rated 6 after his poor clearance allowed Cherki to score. Morgan Gibbs-White was hard-working and caused City problems in the final third, earning a 7.
City’s Midfield and Attack Struggle
City’s midfield lacked balance, with Fernandez and Anderson both disappointing. Jeremy Doku got no change out of Munoz, and Iliman Ndiaye’s missed interception led to Forest’s second goal. Haaland had chances but was not at his best, rated 5. Substitutes Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly were brought on at half-time, but Nunes failed to put a foot in on Delap for Forest’s third.
The result leaves Manchester City with significant questions to answer after a third straight league loss, while Forest can savour a stunning victory built on Delap’s finishing and a committed defensive effort.
