Manchester City's Premier League title challenge took a severe blow after falling to a stunning 3-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, marking their third consecutive league loss.
Despite entering the fixture sitting inside the relegation zone, Forest capitalized on a nightmare start from Enzo Maresca's side. Former City striker Liam Delap emerged as the hero, netting a brilliant brace to haunt his old club. Jair Cunha caught Joško Gvardiol in possession to open the scoring in just the sixth minute, before Delap raced from his own half to double the lead before the 20-minute mark.
Although Rayan Cherki pulled one back early in the second half following good work from Jérémy Doku, Delap sealed a historic win in the 74th minute by finishing off a lightning-fast counterattack—prompting manager Oliver Glasner to sprint down the touchline in wild celebration.
The result lifts Forest out of the bottom three—while simultaneously pushing Manchester United into the relegation zone—and leaves City six points adrift of league leaders Arsenal. Maresca brushed off panic following the club's worst league slump in two years, insisting his squad remains on a "learning journey."