Premier League 2026-27: Manchester City Lose Third Straight Game; Defending Champions Arsenal Open Six-Point Lead

It may be too early to talk about an on-field crisis at Manchester City, but the defending champions lost a third straight Premier League game and slipped six points behind Arsenal after a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal beat Hull 1-0 to widen the gap at the top and deepen the pressure on the defending champions.

Maresca was not panicking and pointed to his side's defending after a run that has swung from seven straight wins to three straight losses. “We are conceding too many goals unfortunately and we need to improve that," Maresca told.

He also urged calm before the international break. “Use the international break to understand why and try to avoid in the future. Always concerned but we need balance — seven wins in a row then three (defeats) in a row. Need the balance. No panic. We need to understand but no panic.” Maresca told.

Forest Shock City

Forest struck early. Jair Cunha pounced on a mistake by Josko Gvardiol in the sixth minute, drove forward and slid the ball into the bottom left corner to put the home side ahead.

City kept making errors. Another turnover in the 18th minute allowed Liam Delap, a City academy graduate, to sprint from inside his own half, split two defenders and fire home for 2-0. Forest had not scored at home this season before the match.

City replied early in the second half when Jeremy Doku collected a long ball on the left and his cross broke to Rayan Cherki, who drilled it into the top left corner. But Forest hit back in the 74th minute as Delap finished a rapid counterattack with a shot off the inside of the far post to complete his brace.

The win mattered at both ends of the table. It was only Forest's second victory of the season and lifted them two points clear of the relegation zone. Manchester United dropped into the bottom three before Sunday's match against Aston Villa.

Forest coach Oliver Glasner joined the celebrations. “One of my best running stats, I guess," Glasner told. “I will be fatigued tomorrow but I can be because it's the international break so I can have a rest!”

Arsenal And Leeds

Arsenal had to wait. Hull stayed organised until the 72nd minute before Martin Ødegaard broke the resistance and sealed a 1-0 win.

The move began with Noni Madueke cutting in from the right wing. Konstantinos Tzolakis parried his shot but could not push it far enough away and Ødegaard slammed in the loose ball.

Leeds also edged a tight game. Substitute Noah Okafor scored in the 79th minute, just 97 seconds after coming on, to give Leeds a 1-0 win over Tottenham. A throw-in was headed on by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Harry Wilson nudged the ball into Okafor's path for the finish.

The result ended Leeds' wait. It was their first win in almost two months and moved them into eighth place, two points above Spurs. Tottenham had been chasing a fourth straight win after failing to win any of their first six matches.

The game turned contentious before the break. Jayden Bogle's challenge on Mathys Tel in the 34th minute led to a long VAR check for a possible red card, but no action followed. Tel was left writhing in agony after Bogle's studs landed on his trailing ankle, tried to continue and went off a few minutes later.

Elsewhere, Newcastle drew 1-1 at Fulham.

Cup Upset Ends

Macclesfield's FA Cup run ended quickly. They lost 3-0 at Mansfield in the first round.

That means there will be no repeat of last season's giant-killing act. Non-league Macclesfield produced the biggest upset in the competition's history in the previous campaign when they knocked out holders Crystal Palace.