Nottingham Forest inflicted their third consecutive defeat on Manchester City with a comprehensive 3-1 victory at the City Ground, in the tenth round of the English Premier League, last Saturday.
This victory halted City's slump of five consecutive matches without a win, under the leadership of Italian coach Enzo Maresca, securing Forest's second win in the competition this season.
With this result, Nottingham Forest's tally rose to 9 points, moving up to 16th place in the standings, while Manchester City remained on 21 points in second place, trailing leader Arsenal by 6 points.
Early goals and defensive pressure
The home team surprised their visitors with an early goal in the sixth minute, after Brazilian Gerson Nogueira exploited a mistake by Croatian Josko Gvardiol, who sprinted towards the penalty area and fired a shot into the net of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
In the 17th minute, Liam Delap doubled the score with a powerful strike during a quick counter-attack, putting Manchester City in an early predicament, despite their numerous attacking attempts through Enzo Fernandez and Erling Haaland.
Cherki's return and the decisive blow
French player of Algerian descent Riyad Mahrez returned to the match by scoring City's first goal in the 52nd minute, with a brilliant shot from outside the penalty area, giving his team a morale boost to press for an equalizer.
However, Nottingham Forest maintained their defensive solidity, and in the 73rd minute, Delap delivered the decisive blow by scoring his second personal goal and the team's third, after a quick counter-attack finished with a powerful shot into the net.
Manchester City tried to close the gap in the remaining minutes through intense attacks, but the strong defensive organization of the home team prevented them from reaching the net again, as the final whistle announced Nottingham Forest's 3-1 victory.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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