Nottingham Forest 3–1 Man City: Delap double crowns City Ground victory

Nottingham Forest ended their wait for a home league victory in emphatic fashion, beating Manchester City 3–1 at the City Ground. Jair Cunha set the tone with an early opener after winning the ball high up the pitch, and Liam Delap doubled the advantage with a powerful run and finish. City had arrived expecting to control the contest, but the first half became a story of Forest's directness and their ability to turn transitions into clear scoring opportunities.

Forest strike early and punish City again

Delap's first goal provided a two-goal cushion before the interval. It also put the visitors under pressure to find answers after Forest had taken the initiative. City did have a route back: Erling Haaland was denied by a goal-line clearance from Cunha before the break, a moment that later proved significant when the home side's early advantage came under threat.

Goals and defining moments

Cunha scored on six minutes; Delap made it 2–0 on 18. Cherki replied on 52, before Delap completed his brace on 73.

Jair Cunha did more than score the opener: the defender also cleared Erling Haaland's effort off the line after the striker had rounded Matz Sels. When Cherki pulled a goal back, Forest kept threatening on the break, and Delap punished City a second time to settle the contest.

Cherki gives City hope; Delap ends it

Rayan Cherki pulled one back early in the second half, giving City fresh momentum and reducing the margin to a single goal. Forest remained dangerous on the counterattack, however, and Delap's second finish restored the two-goal gap. The forward's brace was decisive not simply because he scored twice, but because his later goal arrived after City's response and took the contest beyond the visitors' reach.

The attacking exchanges underlined the different ways the two sides threatened. City pushed for a second goal after Cherki's strike, but their ambition left space for Forest to exploit. The home team's finishing turned that space into the game's final scoring moment, while the visitors' possession and pressure could not rescue a result.

What the match statistics show

City had 78% possession and an xG edge of 1.78 to 1.10, yet Forest won the shots-on-target battle 5–4 and finished three chances. Possession and the estimated quality of opportunities did not translate into a City comeback.

A major result for Forest

The significance extends beyond the scoreline. Forest's first home league win of the campaign came against one of the division's most formidable opponents, with Delap and Cunha producing the moments that mattered. City left with a third successive league defeat, their consolation goal unable to erase the damage done in the opening stages. The numbers describe the balance of chances; Forest's three finishes explain the result.

The decisive episodes also exposed the limits of City's recovery. Cherki's strike briefly made a comeback plausible, but Forest still had enough speed and conviction to threaten whenever the visitors advanced. Delap's second finish followed one such break and turned renewed City optimism into a two-goal deficit again. For Oliver Glasner, the victory provided both overdue home points and evidence that his players could carry out an aggressive plan against demanding opposition.