Nottingham Forest stun Manchester City 3-1 as Delap scores twice in Premier League upset

Nottingham: Nottingham Forest produced a stunning performance to beat Manchester City 3-1 in the Premier League, with Liam Delap scoring twice against his former club to inflict a third successive league defeat on Pep Guardiola's side.

Forest made an explosive start at the City Ground, finding the net twice inside the opening 18 minutes through Jair Cunha and Delap to put the visitors on the back foot.

The hosts took the lead in the sixth minute after Cunha dispossessed Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol in midfield. The Forest player drove towards the penalty area, cut onto his left foot and beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to put his side ahead.

Forest extended their advantage 12 minutes later. After Xaver Schlager won possession from Elliot Anderson, Delap collected the ball inside his own half and surged forward. He held off Marc Guehi before unleashing a powerful finish into the roof of the net.

Manchester City struggled to find a response before the break. Nikola Milenkovic blocked an attempt from Jeremy Doku, while Cunha produced a crucial goal-line clearance to prevent Erling Haaland from scoring.

City came out with greater urgency after half-time and pulled one goal back in the 52nd minute. Ryan Yates failed to clear the ball, allowing Rayan Cherki to unleash a powerful left-footed half-volley beyond Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Haaland nearly restored parity with an effort that narrowly missed the top-right corner. Forest, however, continued to threaten at the other end, with Yates seeing his shot deflect off Anderson before crashing against the crossbar.

Delap put the result beyond doubt in the 73rd minute, completing his brace with an impressive counter-attacking move. He collected a clearance deep inside his own half, exchanged passes with Morgan Gibbs-White and received the ball back before firing past Donnarumma. The shot struck the far post before crossing the line.

The defeat leaves Manchester City second in the Premier League standings, although they could drop to third depending on Brighton and Hove Albion's result on Sunday.

Forest climbed to 16th place with the victory, which also pushed Manchester United into the relegation zone.

The result marked City's third consecutive Premier League defeat. For Forest manager Oliver Glasner, it was also a significant breakthrough, as the team finally secured a home victory after failing to score in their first four home matches under him.