Manchester City fall further behind Arsenal after third straight defeat
Manchester City suffered a third straight defeat in the Premier League, losing 3-1 away to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground and falling further behind league leaders Arsenal.
Forest went into the match in the relegation zone. Former City striker Liam Delap scored twice as the home side claimed a 3-1 win.
It is the first time in two years that Manchester City have lost three league matches in a row. It is also the first time since September 2019 that they have conceded three goals to a team that started the day among the bottom three in the Premier League.
Despite the defeat, City remain second in the table. But the gap to Arsenal, the leaders and current champions, is now six points.
The season had begun very differently for City, who won their first seven matches in a row.
That winning run has now been broken by three straight defeats. The City manager said, 'We won the first seven matches in a row. That had never happened before. Now we have lost three in a row, that is football.'
The win lifted Nottingham Forest out of the relegation zone. Manchester United dropped into it in their place.
Delap's brace against his former club played a big part in Forest's win, making City's defeat to a team that started the day at the bottom one of the surprises of the season.
The six-point gap to Arsenal means City must now chase from behind in the title race.
Forest's win has lifted them out of the relegation zone, while City's three straight defeats have ended the run of seven wins with which they began the season.
