Nottingham Forest vs Man City: Maresca's men hand massive advantage to Arsenal as Delap finally arrives

The hosts made a blistering start. Defender Jair Cunha opened the scoring in the sixth minute, capitalising on a defensive error to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Delap, who had scored just one goal for Forest up till this point, then doubled the lead in the 18th minute with a sensational solo effort, driving from deep and blasting past the City goalkeeper.

Enzo Maresca’s side dominated possession but struggled to break down a resilient Forest defence.

Rayan Cherki reduced the deficit early in the second half with a superb strike into the top corner, briefly raising hopes of a comeback.

However, Forest restored their two-goal cushion in the 73rd minute. Morgan Gibbs-White led a swift counter-attack and found Delap, who finished emphatically off the post to complete his brace and seal a memorable victory.

The result leaves City six points adrift of leaders Arsenal, who had defeated Hull City 1-0 earlier in the day.

For Forest, this was a crucial win ahead of the international break and perhaps an excellent tipping point for Delap.