Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City as Liam Delap strikes twice at City Ground

Nottingham Forest secured their first home Premier League victory of the season with a 3-1 win over Manchester City, as Liam Delap scored twice in an impressive performance at the City Ground.

The hosts took advantage of two defensive errors to establish a commanding lead before half-time.

Forest opened the scoring after Josko Gvardiol was dispossessed by Jair Cunha. The Manchester City defender’s poor touch left him unable to deal with the challenge, allowing Cunha to carry the ball towards the penalty area before placing a low finish into the bottom corner.

Delap then doubled Forest’s advantage after Xaver Schlager won a 50/50 challenge with Elliot Anderson. The midfielder immediately released Delap, who drove forward from the halfway line before powering a shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Manchester City had opportunities before the break. Erling Haaland saw a narrow-angle effort cleared off the line, while Enzo Fernandez failed to convert a headed chance.

Pep Guardiola’s side reduced the deficit soon after the restart through Rayan Cherki. The forward struck a spectacular half-volley after meeting a clearance cleanly, giving Manchester City renewed momentum.

The visitors controlled possession for a sustained period and increased the pressure on Forest, but they struggled to find a way through the home side’s defence.

Forest continued to pose a threat on the counter-attack, and Delap put the result beyond doubt with a superb curling finish into the top corner. The goal came at the end of a swift break and completed his second-half contribution.

The result leaves Manchester City second in the Premier League, six points behind Arsenal. Arsenal had moved further clear by defeating Hull City 1-0 earlier on Saturday.

Forest rise to 16th, two points above the relegation zone. Manchester United drop into the bottom three for the first time at this stage of a Premier League campaign.