Super Eagles defender Ola Aina was absent from the matchday squad on Saturday afternoon as Nottingham Forest produced a clinical counter-attacking display to defeat Manchester City 3–1 at the City Ground.
Aina, who has made six Premier League appearances and picked up three yellow cards so far this season, was forced to watch from the sidelines as his teammates dismantled the opposition defense.
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Forest caught the visitors cold in just the sixth minute. Jair Cunha dispossessed City defender Joško Gvardiol deep in his own half before driving forward and drilling a precise finish into the bottom left corner to open the scoring.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 18th minute following another defensive lapse from City. Liam Delap seized on a loose ball inside his own half, sprinted past two defenders on a lightning-quick transition, and smashed his effort past the goalkeeper to make it 2–0.
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City responded early in the second period to pull a goal back. Jeremy Doku chased down a long ball along the left flank, and his deflected cross fell kindly into the path of Rayan Cherki, who rifled a strike into the top left corner.
As City committed bodies forward in search of an equalizer, Forest put the result beyond doubt in the 74th minute. Capitalizing on another sweeping counter-attack, Delap bagged his second of the afternoon with a strike that clipped the inside of the far post before bouncing in to seal a memorable 3–1 victory.
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