Enraged Manchester City devours determined Forest at the Etihad

He helped his team beat off an Ipswich lengthy rally even booting off a goal bound ball off the line last weekend, but Ola Aina’s savior heroics eluded his Nottingham Forest side at the Etihad Wednesday night.

Forest’s keenness was no match for an enraged champions on a mission to stem their winless streak at seven as Manchester City steps on the metal to winning ways defeating the visitors 3-0.

With three changes to his Reds that took down Ipswich on Saturday in winger Anthony Elanga, Nicolás Dominguez, and Alexandre Moreno, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo purposed to leapfrog a familiar champion fast losing ground this season.

The trio took the place of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Neco Williams and Elliot Anderson who dropped to the bench.

Erling Haaland had the first opportunity of the night after just five minutes, connecting with captain Kevin De Bruyne’s ball in the box only to watch his shot on target strong armed away by Forest goalie Matz Sels.

It was Forest’s turn to forage for goal on counterattack but the skidding sweep off by Josko Gvardiol denied Elanga from making much inroad.

On the eight minute of play however, Bernardo Silva thrusts home the first goal up close having connected with a flashing past De Bruyne’s header.

Almost immediately, the other Silva on the field, Jota, tried to right the wrong on the visitor’s account but his attempt eluded goalkeeper Stefan Ortega’s near post from a tailored pass from Gibbs-White.

The champions responded down the other end but Gvardiol header went wide from an otherwise pristine chance.

In an effort to outpace each other, the attacks went into an end to end crescendo. Forest’s versatile winger Jota Silva turned the spoiler by denying Gvardiol and in the next moment provided a cross back to Gibbs-White but the Forest attacking midfielder saw his attempt clutched by a strong Ortega diving right arm.

Forest relentless in their intention to score but continued to find themselves a goal down.

City clattered back with two chances of their own screeching beyond both side of Sels’ post. The first of the forays was stretched wide by Gvardiol, only for De Bruyne to direct a low shot on the slippery field beyond the post.

Forest’s clearest opportunity to score came on the 29′ as Chris Wood fleet feet saw him go through on goal following a messy back pass by De Bruyne, only for his effort to miss Ortega’s near post by a whisker.

As if tired of the ding-dong battle, City struck on the 30th minute, to double their lead.

The same De Bruyne, whose goofed almost allowed the visitors into the game, fired home after being freed by his fellow Belgium international Jérémy Doku.

A third City goal in the 59th minute from a counterattack sealed the win for City. Doku was located by a Haaland ball thrust into space, only to cut inside before weaving his shot beyond Sels.

Doku’s goal all but deflated the visitor’s fighting spirit but Forest was able to signal to all that the will live to fight another day.

Manchester United should take heed; Forest will be ready to joust again on Saturday at Old Trafford.

Fulham equal 73-year club feat during Premier League clash against Brighton

Records tumbled at Craven Cottage on Thursday night Image Credit: Getty/TalkSport

Nigeria and Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi’s brace helped Fulham equal a 73-year club feat during the Premier League clash against Brighton Hove Albion as Carlos Baleba’s equaliser at Craven Cottage saw Fulham level a 73-year old club record in their 3-1 win over Brighton, reports Natasha Everitt for TalkSport.

The Cottagers secured an early 1-0 lead as Alex Iwobi pounced on a defensive howler from Seagulls goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who played a pass too short in his own box.

The Albion netted an equaliser ten minutes after half time, with Joao Pedro beautifully controlling a ball over the top to pass to Baleba, who slotted home past Bernd Leno to make it 1-1.

The strike saw Baleba score his third goal in all competitions for Brighton on his 50th appearance for the club.

But an own goal from Matt O’Riley from an Andreas Pereira free-kick into the box, as well as a second from Iwobi, earned the west Londoners all three points.

In their league history, only in the 1950/51 season have they had a longer such run from the start of a campaign.

Fulham also equalled their club record of scoring in 13 successive top division matches so far.

That’s a feat that’s stayed untouched for 65 years.

Fulham have also maintained their club-record unbeaten streak against the Seagulls in the Premier League.

The west London club are now unbeaten in all nine of their Premier League games against them with five wins and four draws.

Brighton have now edged Norwich for being Fulham’s side they have faced the most without losing in the Premier League.

The Seagulls have won none of their last ten Premier League away games against London clubs, drawing four and losing six.

The last time they had a run of this length without a league win in the capital was between 1961 and 1967.

Fulham are the club the Seagulls have faced the most in the Premier League without ever winning in the competition.

Going into the clash, Brighton were unbeaten when conceding first in the Premier League this season, with two wins and two draws coming their way after going behind so far.

And Fulham had won just one of their last five Premier League games in which they’ve scored the opening goal, drawing once and losing three.

But the Cottagers shook off those ominous omens to seal victory.

Marco Silva’s side have jumped from 12th place to sixth in the table.

They are now one space and one point behind Brighton, who sit in fifth.

The Seagulls have won one out of their last five league games.

Van Nistelrooy survives West Ham’s first-half blizzard of attack to earn The Foxes a victory

By Ed Emeanua

It wasn’t a pretty win for Leicester City’s new boss in the dugout but Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and his mates managed to dig deep to etch out a 3-1 win against hard fighting West Ham United at the King Power Stadium Tuesday. And it was just as well.

Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij, or Ruud van Nistelrooy for short to many in the football universe, had a raucous start in his first match for one of Premier League’s runty side and somehow managed a victory song when all was said and done.

The hallmark of van Nistelrooy’s victory is his decision to deploy Nigeria’s Ndidi and France’s Boubakary Soumaré in defensive midfield role. The pair managed to stabilize an otherwise highly notorious Leicester City shaky defense line.

Before long, the Foxes defensive line of James Justin, Victor Bernth Kristansen, Conor Coady, and Jannik Vestergaard, who was red carded in the 60th minute, began to play with stellar conviction.

In a first half that his side managed just three paltry shots on goal to his opponent’s 20, the Dutchman somehow still managed to go into half-time the better with a goal up, after his side held on amidst West Ham’s blizzard attacks, to mercurial striker Jamie Vardy’s goal with just 1.38 seconds into play.

Vardy’s strike is his fifth of the season, his first goal since October 25, 2024 against Nottingham Forest, and the fastest goal for the Foxes this term. The 37-year-old’s opening goal against the Hammers was the sixth time he has got a new Leicester manager off the blocks.

The England forward equally accounted for managers Claudio Ranieri, Craig Shakespeare, Claude Puel, Brendan Rodgers, Steve Cooper’s Leicester stint with their first goals.

With sides with differing fortunes in the ongoing season going up against each other on the first Tuesday of December’s scheduled Premier League milieu at the King Power, the outcome of the rhubarb was always going to be an unpredictable ending.

The home side have managed just a clean sheet in their last 19 Premier League games at the King Power, winning 1-0 against Bournemouth in October. The Foxes have also given up the opening goal in 17 of those 19 frays at their home ground.

The visiting Irons triumphed over Newcastle United at St James’ Park to garner a second away victory in 2024/25, and West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui was hoping for same tattletale on Tuesday night in certainly his side’s most vital run of schedules as the League starts to shape out before the season’s midway stage.

In contrast, Leicester City have won just two of their 2024/25 13 Premier League games to place 16th in the table, just a point from the relegation zone.

Lopetegui‘s West Ham clearly dominated verse period of this game but failed to bury a run of opportunities and forcing vexed Hammers legions to breakout singing before full-time: “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” at their Spanish boss.

A lucky Van Nistelrooy was thrown into celebration following a second half clincher from Bilal El Khannouss thanks largely to West Ham sub Bobby De Codova-Reid’s phantom ‘third goal’ having been scratched off by a tight VAR offside rule.

Kasey McAteer located El Khannouss in the box allowing the Moroccan  a right footer beyond the reach of Hammer’s goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański.

Lopetegui’s luckless outing was completed when Crysencio Summerville touched a Jarrod Bowen cutback beyond the reach of Leicester goalie Mads Harmansen, only to be denied by defender Coady who cleared the ball off the line.

As West Ham cursed their luck, Zambian Patson Daka went clear of the Hammers’ snail-paced defence to boot in the third goal for Leicester.

Niclas Fullkrug’s stoppage time headed goal proved to be West Ham’s only solace at the Foxes den on Tuesday.

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