Nottingham Forest Triumphs Over Manchester City with 3-1 Victory

In an unexpected twist, Nottingham Forest triumphed over Manchester City with a 3-1 scoreline, thanks to two goals from Liam Delap. The match saw Forest take an early lead, and despite a second-half response from City, Delap's late goal sealed the victory. This win not only eases pressure on Forest's manager but also marks City's third consecutive league defeat, leaving them vulnerable in the standings. Discover how this match unfolded and its implications for both teams.

By Narendra Chaudhary Nov 8, 2026, 13:52 IST

Nottingham Forest Shocks Manchester City

In a surprising turn of events, Nottingham Forest defeated Manchester City 3-1 in the Premier League on November 8, 2023. Liam Delap, facing his former team, netted two goals, contributing to City's third straight league loss and alleviating some pressure on Forest's manager, Oliver Glasner.

The match kicked off with Forest taking an early lead at the City Ground, scoring twice within the first 18 minutes, thanks to Jair Cunha and Delap.

Cunha opened the scoring just six minutes in, stealing the ball from City’s left-back Josko Gvardiol in midfield. He advanced into the penalty area, shifted the ball to his left foot, and found the net past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Delap doubled the lead in the 18th minute, carrying the ball from his own half after Xaver Schlager intercepted it from Elliot Anderson. He held off Marc Guehi and fired into the roof of the net.

City struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, with Forest's Nikola Milenkovic blocking a shot from Jeremy Doku, and Cunha making a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Erling Haaland.

The visitors managed to pull one back seven minutes into the second half when Rayan Cherki unleashed a powerful left-footed half-volley past Forest's goalkeeper Matz Sels after Ryan Yates failed to clear the ball.

Haaland nearly equalized with a curling shot that just missed the top-right corner. Forest also looked to extend their lead when Yates’ shot deflected off Anderson and hit the crossbar.

Delap secured the win in the 73rd minute with his second goal. After collecting a clearance deep in his half, he exchanged passes with Morgan Gibbs-White before firing past Donnarumma, with the ball going in off the far post.

This result leaves Manchester City in second place in the Premier League, although they risk dropping to third depending on Brighton and Hove Albion's performance on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Forest climbed to 16th place with this victory, which also pushed Manchester United into the relegation zone. This defeat marks City's third consecutive loss in the league, while Forest finally secured a home win under Glasner after failing to score in their first four home matches.