Nottingham Forest endured a tough night at the Etihad Stadium as they were toppled 6-0 by Manchester City.
The reigning Premier League champions were on a completely different level, with the Reds barely getting a touch of the ball in the first half. And Steve Cooper’s side were on the receiving end of an Erling Haaland masterclass; a 38-minute hat-trick giving his side a dominant lead at the break.
It already looked like being a long night for the visitors when the Norwegian opened the scoring with 12 minutes gone, poking home from close range. Debutant Renan Lodi spurned a good chance for Forest when he headed a Neco Williams cross into the side-netting five minutes later.
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But that was a rare moment of respite. City just kept coming forward.
Haaland tapped into an empty net in the 23rd minute after Dean Henderson had come out to close down the initial shot. He then headed in from a few yards out shortly before half-time.
Joao Cancelo fired one into the top corner to make it four soon after the break, then Julian Alvarez went on to bag a brace to rub salt in Forest’s wound. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Etihad Stadium.
Dean Henderson: A night for the Reds to quickly put behind them. Didn’t help themselves at times, but they were up against world-class opponents. Distribution could have been better, to give the visitors a chance. Rating: 5/10
Joe Worrall: Certainly had his work cut out, up against one of the best strikers in the world. Will be far from the only one who Haaland gets the better of this season. Rating: 5/10
Cheikhou Kouyate: A forgettable evening all round for the back line. Difficult to really judge the summer signing on his first league start, but the defence made it too easy for the hosts at times. Rating: 5/10
Scott McKenna: Started off okay, making some strong tackles. Nerves seemed to set in once City got going. Usual coolness in possession wasn’t there. Rating: 5/10
Neco Williams: Didn’t get too many opportunities to show what he’s about, but still had some decent touches. Put in a good cross for Lodi’s header. Rating: 5.5/10
Ryan Yates: Midfield as a whole had a thankless task. Defence didn’t get a whole lot of protection. Could have been braver with the ball. Rating: 5/10
Remo Freuler: Seemed to still be getting up to scratch a bit - or it might just have looked that way against a City side who passed the ball around with ease. Rating: 5/10
Lewis O’Brien: Can’t fault his work-rate. Forest were far from the best version of themselves Cooper had called for them to be, but the midfielder kept plugging away. Rating: 5.5/10
Renan Lodi: Straight in at the (very) deep end for the Reds’ most recent arrival. Did okay in the circumstances, and might have made it 1-1 early on. Rating: 5.5/10
Brennan Johnson: Hardly saw the ball as it spent most of its time at the opposite end of the pitch. A rare chance to run at the defence ended with a shot being dragged wide in the second half. Rating: 5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: At least had a shot on target, which was a rarity on the night, drawing a save from Ederson shortly before coming off. Trying to make an impact otherwise was nigh-on impossible. Rating: 5/10
Subs
Taiwo Awoniyi (for Johnson, 58mins): Forest could maybe have done with him coming on earlier, being a focal point up front. Rating: 5.5/10
Emmanuel Dennis (for Gibbs-White, 58mins): Like Awoniyi, brought something a bit different, even if getting into the game wasn’t easy. Rating: 5/10
Jack Colback (for Yates, 69mins): Did his best to try to get a handle on the game. Rating: 5.5/10
Harry Toffolo (for Lodi, 69mins): Not the easiest match to join from off the bench. Struggled to really get involved, but was far from the only one. Rating: 5/10
Giulian Biancone (for Kouyate, 78mins): Did pretty well when he came on, showing a calm head at times. Rating: 5.5/10
Subs not used: Hennessey, Cook, Lingard, Surridge.
Who was your man of the match? Have your say in the comments below
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