Erling Haaland produced scored another stunning second successive hat-trick as Manchester City turned on the style at the Etihad Stadium with a 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.
This was the first meeting between the two sides in 13 years, and the visitors knew early on just how much of a test this match would prove to be.
Just like that, Steve Cooper’s side were behind after 12 minutes. Haaland got ahead of his marker to meet Phil Foden’s cross at the near post and the Norwegian tapped home beyond Dean Henderson with a good finish.
He then had his second of the night just 10 minutes later, another easy tap-in from close range inside the six-yard box to put City firmly in control.
City weren’t done there as Joao Cancelo got in on the act five minutes into the second half with a superb long-range strike into the top corner from the edge of the area.
Julian Alvarez added a fifth for City in the 65th minute, latching onto a brilliant through pass by Riyad Mahrez to finish well into the bottom corner from a tight angle to mark his first league start with a goal.
The Argentine then had his brace three minutes from time with a superb strike into the top corner to cap off a special night under the lights for the City fans.
If Nottingham Forest did not know how tough the Premier League was going to be this season, they do now.
Steve Cooper’s side were dealt a harsh lesson tonight, against a team who showed their clinical nature in front of goal. In the first half alone, City had 77% possession.
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It was clear that Forest’s game plan was to sit back and frustrate City, but it lasted just 12 minutes, as the home side showed just how slick they were on the ball. With City’s recent setback against Newcastle, Pep Guardiola’s side have bounced back in emphatic fashion, scoring 10 goals in their last two league games.
