Pep Guardiola’s 100th Champions League game in charge of Manchester City ended in defeat, as the much-changed hosts were surprised by Bayer Leverkusen.
Guardiola made ten changes following Saturday’s Premier League setback at Newcastle, but the decision backfired horribly as they suffered back-to-back defeats.
City began on the front foot, with Nathan Ake’s poked effort from close range pushed wide by Mark Flekken’s great reflex save, but the hosts were slow and ponderous in control for long stretches afterward.
Leverkusen showed glimpses of speed on the break, and they were rewarded when Christian Kofane flicked the ball back for captain Alejandro Grimaldo to slam home a precise first-time finish.
City’s fringe players struggled to find a rhythm as they attempted to claw their way back into the game, with Tijjani Reijnders gliding through but hitting straight at ex-Brentford goalkeeper Flekken.
And Kasper Hjulmand’s visitors were in dreamland as they doubled their lead at 54 minutes, with Czech striker Patrik Schick leaping highest to head home Ibrahim Maza’s perfect cross.
Star man Erling Haaland was added around the hour mark and nearly made an impact 10 minutes later by latching onto Phil Foden’s pass, but Flekken blocked the ball at his feet.
Manchester City were left upset as the Norwegian hooked another effort over, but the night belonged to Leverkusen and their ecstatic travelling supporters.
Guardiola stated on Friday that the season began after the last international break of the year, but City have yet to get going since the resumption.
They were expected to bounce back after losing at St. James’ Park over the weekend, but the Spaniard made a slew of changes to his starting lineup, much to the astonishment of most fans at Etihad Stadium.
It resulted in a fragmented performance from the English, with marginal players such as Omar Marmoush, Oscar Bobb, and Savinho failing to capitalize on their opportunities in the front three.
Haaland, Phil Foden, and Rayan Cherki were all brought in the second half as Guardiola attempted to salvage a victory, but their run of 13 consecutive home victories against German opponents in this competition came to an abrupt end.
With three league phase games remaining, this might be a costly setback for City, dropping them to sixth in the standings. If outcomes in Wednesday’s games go against them, they will slide out of the top eight, at least for the time being, and into the playoff round rather than the last 16.
The Bundesliga club lost manager Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, while key players including Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, and Piero Hincapie were all sold over the summer.
Erik ten Hag, an ex-Manchester United manager, took over; however, he only lasted two league games before being fired, and the club resorted to Kasper Hjulmand.
The former Denmark manager, who took his country to the 2020 European Championship semi-finals before losing to England, has calmed the ship by leading the team to third place in the league and adding to it with this remarkable away win.
The visitors scored with both of their shots on goal, while Flekken was in top form, making seven saves to keep a well-deserved clean sheet.
This was only Leverkusen’s second Champions League win in five games this season, but it was a significant one, moving them up to 13th in the table and qualifying them for the playoff stage.
