adminManchester, England — Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has called on the Football Association to investigate the circumstances surrounding his side’s controversial 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, citing concerns over “events beyond the pitch” that he believes affected his players’ concentration during a critical Premier League clash.
The defeat, City’s third consecutive league loss, left the champions six points adrift of leaders Arsenal and intensified scrutiny on Maresca’s squad amid the ongoing financial regulations case hanging over the club.
A First Half to Forget
Forest capitalised on defensive errors to race into a two-goal lead inside 18 minutes. Jair Cunha punished Josko Gvardiol’s misplaced pass in the sixth minute, before former City academy graduate Liam Delap doubled the advantage with a surging run from midfield . Rayan Cherki’s superb half-volley early in the second half offered brief hope, but Delap sealed the victory on the counter-attack in the 73rd minute .
Maresca was scathing in his assessment of the opening period. “First half, when you don’t match intensity and lose all the duels, it’s difficult,” he said. “We lost all of them. Then when we wanted to react, we were 2-0 down and in football that is always complicated” .
The FA Request
While Maresca acknowledged his team’s physical shortcomings, he also pointed to external factors. The City boss confirmed he has formally requested that the FA examine incidents that occurred in and around the tunnel area before kick-off and during the half-time interval, though he declined to elaborate on specifics.
“I don’t want to use it as an excuse, because the performance was not good enough,” Maresca said. “But there are things that happened that should not happen in a Premier League game. I have asked the club to speak to the FA. We need clarity, for the players and for the competition.”
The request comes amid heightened tensions surrounding Manchester City, who are awaiting the outcome of an appeal against a guilty verdict for breaching Premier League financial rules—a situation that pundits like Gary Neville have suggested is “seeping into” the players’ mentality .
Injury Woes Compound Misery
City’s defensive frailties were exacerbated by forced substitutions at half-time. Both Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol asked to be withdrawn due to injury, with Maresca revealing that Guehi picked up a problem during the first half while Gvardiol had been managing an issue throughout the week .
“We had to change both centre-backs at half-time,” Maresca confirmed. “That is not normal. It disrupts everything we had planned.”
Forest’s Day of Celebration
For Nottingham Forest, the result was a landmark occasion. Oliver Glasner’s side secured their first home Premier League win of the season and their first goals at the City Ground in 167 days . Delap, who had scored just once in eight games since his club-record move from Chelsea, produced a performance of raw power and precision against his former club.
“It’s now for Liam to keep working, getting back to the Liam Delap he has been,” Glasner said. “Definitely not his finishing with left and right, but he has to improve his heading, his movements in the box” .
What Lies Ahead
City enter the international break with significant questions to answer. The defensive record is alarming—no clean sheet in nine matches across all competitions, and only seven top-flight sides have conceded more goals than the second-placed champions . Maresca has already used four different back-four combinations in the last four league games .
“We won seven in a row, now we have lost three in a row,” Maresca reflected. “We need balance. During the international break, we try to understand what we can do better” .
Whether the FA responds to Maresca’s request remains to be seen. For now, City’s title defence is wobbling, and the manager is searching for answers both on and off the pitch.
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