Marmoush hat-trick lifts city as Forest stumble in top-four chase

Manchester City's new signing Omar Marmoush delivered a sensational first-half hat-trick as they crushed Newcastle United 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on 15 February, while Nottingham Forest suffered a setback in their push for a top-four finish with a 2-1 defeat at Fulham.

Meanwhile, Ipswich Town battled to a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa despite playing with ten men.

Marmoush, who arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, took just 13 minutes to complete his treble, putting City firmly in control. The Egyptian forward opened the scoring in the 19th minute, latching onto a long pass from Ederson and lifting the ball over Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka after Kieran Trippier misjudged the bounce. He doubled his tally five minutes later with a deflected strike from an Ilkay Gundogan pass before completing his hat-trick in the 33rd minute with a powerful finish from Savinho's assist.

James McAtee rounded off City's biggest home league win of the season with an 84th-minute goal, converting a flicked header from Erling Haaland, who had earlier caused concern after briefly holding his knee before continuing. The result lifted Pep Guardiola's side to fourth place on 44 points, three ahead of Newcastle, who remain winless in league matches at the Etihad.

"It was a fantastic performance," Marmoush said. "From the first minute, we played with intensity, and I'm happy to help the team."

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, endured a frustrating afternoon at Craven Cottage, where Calvin Bassey's second-half header secured a 2-1 victory for Fulham. Emile Smith Rowe put the hosts ahead early on, heading in Adama Traoré's cross, but Chris Wood equalised before the break with a well-taken finish after a fortunate deflection.

Forest struggled to respond after Bassey restored Fulham's lead in the 62nd minute, and Nuno Espírito Santo's side remain in third place with 47 points, failing to strengthen their grip on a Champions League spot.

At Villa Park, Ipswich Town showed resilience to hold Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw despite playing the final 50 minutes with ten men following Axel Tuanzebe's dismissal. Liam Delap fired Ipswich ahead in the 56th minute, but Villa hit back through Ollie Watkins, who reacted quickest to a Marcus Rashford free kick that struck the crossbar.

Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer made a string of saves to preserve a valuable point for his relegation-threatened side, who sit 18th with 17 points, two behind Wolverhampton Wanderers. Villa, now ninth on 38 points, were left frustrated after failing to capitalise on their numerical advantage.