Manchester City suffered their third consecutive Premier League defeat on Saturday after falling 3-1 away against Nottingham Forest, leaving manager Enzo Maresca unhappy with his team's work rate.
The defeat at the City Ground comes after City had initially started their league campaign with seven straight wins. The bad run began with a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa, followed by a 1-0 home setback to Brighton, according to The Guardian.
Forest broke the deadlock when Jair Cunha took the ball off Josko Gvardiol before putting it into the net. Striker Liam Delap then scored two additional goals during sharp counter-attacks to secure the victory, which marks Forest's first league win at home since April.
Speaking after the game, Maresca did not hide his disappointment over the team's display in the opening forty-five minutes. He pointed out that his players failed to match the energy of an opponent battling to pull away from relegation trouble.
Maresca explained that his side lost every challenge and physical battle across the pitch early on. He stated that Forest's final two goals looked identical because his team failed to win the ball in midfield and again around the penalty box.
The manager added that while City controlled possession and created chances across their recent losses, they must use the upcoming international break to fix their mistakes and recover their usual sharpness.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner praised his squad for their disciplined, defensive organisation. Glasner noted that while the overall passing was not their finest, the team ran hard, defended passionately, and struck forward at the right moments to beat the champions.
