The joys of Manchester United fans were short-lived.

Tuesday’s second-half turnaround to stun Roma 3–2 was memorable and certainly needed—halting the Red Devils’ nine-game winless run; however, the woes have returned in a historic way.

Manchester City’s 3–1 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday sentenced United into the relegation zone, a first for the club since November 1986 when at least nine matches into the season. The Red Devils are now sandwiched between No. 17 Coventry City and No. 19 Crystal Palace, while Nottingham Forest is sat at No. 16.

United had been flirting with the relegation zone all season, harboring just one win in league play thus far: a 5–2 defeat of newly promoted Ipswich Town all the way back in August.

Life doesn’t seem to be getting any kinder to Michael Carrick’s men anytime soon. An injury-riddled squad welcomes Aston Villa to Old Trafford on Sunday.

Premier League Standings

Liam Delap Leads Charge on Man City Defeat

Nottingham Forest prevailed over the Cityzens on Saturday evening, often weathering serious bouts of pressure at City Ground as Enzo Maresca’s men grew increasingly worried.

The credit ultimately goes to striker Liam Delap, who scored a brace on the night. It marked just the second and third Premier League goals this season for the 23-year-old Englishman, who last scored on Sept. 12 in a 2–1 win over Aston Villa.

By the 20th minute, Forest already had a 2–0 lead. In just the sixth minute, Jair Cunha forced a turnover on City’s Joško Gvardiol, before darting into the box for a low, driven shot into the left side of the net. 12 minutes later, Delap got his first. He collected the ball in Forest’s half and then dribbled through the space between center backs Rúben Dias and Marc Guéhi all the way to the goal, pounding an upper-90 shot.

Rayan Cherki cut Man City’s deficit in half in the 52nd minute, a first time finish on a failed clearance; however, it was ultimately no use. Delap added his second just over 20 minutes later. He got on the end of a through ball from Morgan Gibbs-White. Driving into the box, he then fired the ball to the far post before pulling out the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo celebration.

Arsenal now sit six points ahead of Man City at the top of the Premier League table, securing a gritty 1–0 win over Hull City on Saturday.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Drop Into Relegation Zone As Man City Defeat Sends Red Devils to 40-Year Low.