Sports

Delap’s Double Secures Forest’s First Home Win and City’s Third Consecutive Loss

By RTÉ Sport

Liam Delap’s two goals gave Nottingham Forest a 3‑1 victory over Manchester City at the City Ground, marking the club’s first home win of the season. Delap scored in the 19th and 73rd minutes, after Forest’s centre‑back Jair Cunha had opened the scoring in the sixth minute. The win ended Forest’s five‑game winless run and was their first league victory at the City Ground since April.

Manchester City began the match with a 2‑0 deficit, but Rayan Cherki added a goal for the visitors in the 52nd minute. City’s attempts to come back were thwarted by solid defending, including a clear‑up by Jair against Erling Haaland’s 40th‑minute effort and a block of Haaland’s 52nd‑minute header. Despite a near‑miss from Haaland in the 12th minute, City could not find a second goal.

Forest’s first half was dominated by possession and quick attacks. After Jair’s early goal, Delap capitalised on a pass from former Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson and a subsequent pass from Iliman Ndiaye, running into the City area before firing past Gianluigi Donnarumma. James McAtee almost added a third for City, but his shot from 16 yards was missed.

In the second half, Cherki’s firecracker in the 52nd minute gave City a brief lead, but Delap’s breakaway goal in the 73rd minute restored Forest’s two‑goal advantage. The goal came after Delap set Morgan Gibbs‑White free in Forest’s half, who then passed back to Delap, who struck a powerful finish that hit the post.

The result leaves Manchester United in the bottom three and underscores the challenges both Forest and City face as they adapt to new management and ongoing Premier League investigations.