How Man City became the team that forgot how to win

Manchester City 3-3 Feyenoord: Pep Guardiola’s team were cruising towards a long-awaited win and yet somehow contrived to throw away a three-goal lead with 16 minutes remaining

Manchester City’s players were distraught after Feyenoord’s leveller (AP)

At least it was not a sixth successive defeat. And that, perhaps, is the only consolation Pep Guardiola and Manchester City could derive. Even without losing, they contrived to be the great losers of a remarkable, ridiculous night. Guardiola has won a Premier League with a three-goal comeback at the Etihad Stadium. Here, he lost a lead with one.

For Feyenoord it was a spectacular, seminal fightback: 3-0 down after 74 minutes, they took an improbable point with an incredible response. For their hosts, it showed a self-destructive streak that seemed confined to the days when Joe Royle talked of “Cityitis” has returned and the defensive fragility that Guardiola lamented when Tottenham beat his City 4-0 on Saturday remains. “It is difficult to swallow now,” he said.

He defended an errant defender when he could have cursed his near-namesake: Josko Gvardiol had a shocking quarter of an hour when he was culpable for at least two goals. “We are a team who concede few, few goals over these eight or nine years,” said Guardiola. Now, for the first time since 1963, City have conceded at least two in six successive matches.

In the space of 15 minutes, City dropped from fifth to 15th in the Champions League table. From the jaws of their first victory in a month, City snatched ignominy. A team who used to be defined by control ended with chaos. Even as they could have won it, Jack Grealish striking the bar with a deflected effort in injury-time, they have rarely looked as flawed or as fraught. Even if Feyenoord could not follow in the footsteps of Tottenham (twice), Bournemouth, Brighton and Sporting CP, City seemed a team falling apart.

Josko Gvardiol had a night to forget in the Champions League (AFP via Getty Images)

“We are not able to win games,” rued Guardiola. The unexpectedly lengthy quest of a 682nd win of his managerial career will take him to Anfield on Sunday, maybe contemplating a sixth defeat in seven. Perhaps, too, as the Feyenoord fans chorused the name of Arne Slot, it was thoughts of Liverpool that led him astray. Three goals to the good, he brought off Nathan Ake and Ilkay Gundogan, seemingly seeking to spare the legs of each. “The game was not in danger,” said Guardiola. The youngsters Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and James McAtee were among those to come on and if neither was the culprit in chief in the subsequent collapse, City appeared powerless to resist the Feyenoord tide.  

Guardiola looked as if he feared the worst when they scored their first; his head was in his hands after a first mistake by Gvardiol, who gave the ball to Anis Hadj Moussa to slot in. Then it seemed as though the implications were merely that clean sheets continue to elude City and defensive difficulties to dog Gvardiol.

But he was at fault as the ball was given away again and two Feyenoord substitutes combined. Jordan Lotomba’s shot from an acute angle was kicked on to the post by Ederson and Santiago Gimenez marked his first appearance for two months by chesting the ball over the line.

Erling Haaland scores Manchester City’s opener from a penalty (Nick Potts/PA)

If the goalkeeper might have done better there, he was definitely at fault for the equaliser, caught in no’s man land, charging outside his box as Igor Paixao headed the ball past him and, from an acute angle, showed the presence of mind to loft a cross to the far post for the on-rushing David Hancko to head in to cap his own all-action display. “Three episodes,” sighed Guardiola.

It meant that, ridiculously, City have now conceded 13 goals in four games. They have lost a lead in three of them; but not like this. They were the first side in Champions League history to be three goals ahead in the 75th minute and still not win.

What followed altered the complexion of those three goals, scored in 10 minutes either side of half-time. City were nevertheless uninspired for the first 40 minutes, only really threatening when Erling Haaland headed against the post and Phil Foden contrived to block Jack Grealish’s goalbound volley.

Then fortune favoured them, referee Radu Petrescu ruling that Quentin Timber had fouled Haaland in the box. The Norwegian had struck the bar with a penalty in Portugal. There were roars of relief when he dispatched his next spot kick.

Erling Haaland watches on as Feyenoord celebrate (EPA)

While Haaland showed his predatory streak, Gundogan demonstrated his technique to double the lead. He connected sweetly with a left-footed volley from the edge of the box, even if goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther may have been defeated by the deflection off Hancko. Premier League goals have eluded Gundogan since his return to City but this was a third already in the Champions League. After his wretched afternoon against Tottenham came what seemed a restorative evening that included a part in the third goal. Then Gundogan played the penetrative pass to release Matheus Nunes whose low centre was converted by a sliding Haaland. “Three-zero down, you think it is going to be a long evening,” said Feyenoord manager Brian Priske.

Game over, or so Guardiola thought. He had signalled part of his thinking for Anfield by dropping Kyle Walker and opting not to give Kevin De Bruyne a first start since September. More came with the substitutions. But they backfired.

Even as City extended their unbeaten run at home in Europe to 34 games, this was only a fifth draw in that time. There could be consequences, too: they probably need to beat both Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain away to get a top-eight finish. But first of all, they need to beat someone, anyone. Because Manchester City, the team that couldn’t stop winning, now can’t start.