Oliver Glasner celebrated his first Premier League home victory as Nottingham Forest manager in euphoric fashion as his side claimed a stunning 3-1 win over Manchester City at the City Ground. Jair Cunha opened the scoring for the hosts before a dynamic brace from Liam Delap sparked jubilant scenes in the technical area. The 52-year-old Austrian manager, who initially offered calm applause for the opener, ultimately sprinted down the touchline to mob his players after Delap hammered in Forest's third goal.
The result marked a dramatic statistical breakthrough for Forest, who had endured a deeply frustrating run in front of goal. Heading into Saturday's fixture, Forest languished in 19th place despite underlying numbers indicating they should be third, holding the division's largest negative disparity between actual points (six) and expected points (15.49). Despite producing 152 attempts—the second-highest tally in the Premier League—Forest had registered the fewest goals (six) and the lowest conversion rate (4%). Their three strikes against City remarkably surpassed the two goals they had scored across their previous six home league outings combined.
The afternoon proved to be a defining showcase for Delap, who had spent 10 years in City's academy before heading to Ipswich in 2019 and later struggling to make an impact at Chelsea. Having managed just a single goal from 24 shots in his initial eight matches for Forest, the £50m forward answered questions about his form by scoring two of his three attempts, marking the first time this league campaign he produced two shots on target in a game. Glasner noted that the forward had lost confidence during his stint in west London but is steadily finding his rhythm away from the burden of his transfer fee.
Heading into the international break, the win offers Forest vital momentum, with Glasner joking that his celebratory sprint would leave him fatigued just in time for some rest. Reflecting on the result, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy termed the victory a huge moment in the season for the club, highlighting that Delap—son of former top-flight defender Rory—is poised to become a really big player for Forest if he maintains his fitness and growing confidence.
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