City Conceded Three to a Relegation-Zone Side for First Time Since 2019 — as Forest Ended a 167-Day Home Drought

Nottingham Forest did not merely beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground. They ended a 167-day Premier League home drought with three goals, and they forced a record City did not want: the first time Manchester City have conceded three against a side that started the day in the relegation zone since September 2019 against Norwich — and the first time they have done so after at least 10 games since a 3-3 draw with Bolton in December 2009, according to BBC Sport.

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Centre-back Jair Cunha opened the scoring in the sixth minute after stripping Josko Gvardiol and finishing past Gianluigi Donnarumma — Forest's first Premier League goal at home this season and the end of more than seven hours without one at the City Ground.

Liam Delap made it 2-0 in the 18th minute. He collected the ball inside his own half, drove at City's back line and lashed past Donnarumma, with Xaver Schlager credited for the assist. OneFootball noted it was the earliest Manchester City had been two goals down in a Premier League game since November 2019 against Liverpool.

City had already conceded inside the opening 11 minutes in each of their previous two league matches, against Aston Villa and Brighton. The pattern continued.

Rayan Cherki hauled City back into it in the 52nd minute with a half-volley into the roof of the net after Jeremy Doku's involvement — a finish BBC Radio 5 Live's Steve Stone called "an absolute rocket."

Forest were under pressure. Then Morgan Gibbs-White turned a deep regain into a counter, found Delap, and the striker curled one that struck the woodwork and went in at the far side in the 73rd minute. Oliver Glasner ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with him. Delap later left to an ovation, replaced by Igor Jesus.

Attendance was 30,762.

Manchester City finished with about 79% of the ball and a higher expected-goals total (roughly 1.51 to Forest's 0.98 on Sky Sports' match centre), yet created the kind of soft moments that have stacked up since their last clean sheet, against Liverpool on Oct. 11. BBC Sport reported City have conceded 16 goals across their last eight games in all competitions.

This was City's third consecutive Premier League defeat after losses to Villa and Brighton. Arsenal's earlier 1-0 win over Hull left the leaders on 27 points from 10 games; City stay second on 21 and fall further back in the title race.

For Forest, the three points lift them clear of the relegation zone by two points, per BBC Sport's live reporting. Glasner had spent the week sounding the alarm — telling players this is not a "spa and wellness hotel" and warning that if they do not buy in, "the sixth manager will come in." The response on Saturday was clinical, not cautious.

Elliot Anderson started for City on his first return to the City Ground since his big-money summer move. He was part of a midfield that controlled the ball but could not seperate Forest's counters from the scoreboard.

The bigger story is the collision of two droughts ending in opposite directions: Forest finally scoring — and scoring three — at home, and City conceding three to a relegation-zone starter for the first time in seven years. That is the title-race and survival story in one afternoon.

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City still have the squad to recover. Forest still have a long climb. But for one rainy Saturday in Nottingham, the numbers that usually protect City — possession, territory, reputation — did not protect them at all.