Delap double hands Forest a 3-1 win over Man City; full player ratings

Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground in the Premier League on 7 November 2026, with Liam Delap scoring twice against his former club. The victory produced Forest's first home goals of the season and inflicted a third successive league defeat on Manchester City.

BBC Sport published player ratings for both sides, placing Liam Delap at the top with a 9 and several City defenders on 4s. Jair Cunha received an 8 after scoring in the sixth minute and making a vital goalline clearance, while Gianluigi Donnarumma was rated 4 as City conceded three goals. The report noted specific moments such as Ryan Yates’ poor clearance that allowed Rayan Cherki to score and Xaver Schlager’s assist for Forest’s second.

Matz Sels was given a 6 with the assessment that he could do nothing about Rayan Cherki's goal. Daniel Munoz earned a 7 for keeping Jeremy Doku quiet, and Jair Cunha (8) scored the opener in the sixth minute and later made a "brilliant goalline clearance". Nikola Milenkovic (7) was credited for blocking an early Doku strike and Murillo (7) was described as solid in helping to contain Erling Haaland.

Neco Williams received a 7 for his physical work, while captain Ryan Yates was rated 6 after a clearance that led to Cherki's second-half strike. Xaver Schlager was awarded a 7 for providing the assist for Forest's second goal. James McAtee (7) "had a very good game against his former club", with one weak shot saved and another effort sent over, and Morgan Gibbs-White was given a 7 for his industry in the final third.

Liam Delap was rated 9 after "a double for the no-nonsense ex-City striker" and two "thunderous finishes". Substitutes Luca Netz (on 64 for McAtee) and Dan Ndoye (on 64 for Munoz) were each rated 6, while Ibrahim Sangare (on 79 for Yates) and Igor Jesus (on 86 for Delap) also received 6s. Unused Forest substitutes listed were John Victor, Ousmane Diomande, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood and Arnaud Kalimuendo.

For Manchester City, Gianluigi Donnarumma was rated 4 with the commentary: "Another game without a clean sheet, another three conceded. Aerially suspect too. Not having a good season." Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi were each given 4s; Dias was said to have made a "desperate lunge" to try to block Delap's goal and Guehi was substituted at half-time. Josko Gvardiol was rated 4 and described as "soft on the ball" early on when Cunha dispossessed him for Forest's opener.

Elliot Anderson was given a 5 after what the report described as an "unhappy return to the City Ground" where he "lost the midfield battle". Enzo Fernandez received a 5 after missing a close-range header, Jeremy Doku and Iliman Ndiaye were both rated 5 with Ndiaye's missed interception linked to Forest's second, Rayan Cherki was awarded a 6 for "pulling a goal back for City with a stunning finish in the second half", and Erling Haaland was rated 5. City substitutes Matheus Nunes (on 45 for Guehi) was graded 5 and was said to have "Failed to put a foot in on Delap for Forest's third", while Nico O'Reilly (on 45 for Gvardiol) and Phil Foden (on 76 for Fernandez) were both given 6s.

Unused Manchester City substitutes listed were Geronimo Rulli, Mateo Kovacic, Vitor Reis, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Allan and Rico Lewis. BBC Sport invited readers to rate players out of 10 for the game, noting the rater would close 30 minutes after the final whistle and that averages from submissions are shown after the opportunity to rate has closed.

The result delivered Nottingham Forest's first home goals of the season and handed Manchester City their third straight Premier League loss.