Manchester City's impressive 23-match unbeaten streak in Champions League group stages came to a shocking end at the Etihad Stadium as Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen secured a memorable 2-0 victory.
Guardiola's Team Selection Backfires
Pep Guardiola made the controversial decision to make ten changes to his starting lineup, resting key players including Erling Haaland and Phil Foden following Saturday's defeat at Newcastle United. Only Nico González retained his place from that match, with Guardiola fielding an experimental formation that featured Tijjani Reijnders and Rico Lewis as attacking midfielders behind a frontline of Oscar Bobb, Omar Marmoush, and Savinho.
The last time City lost a Champions League group match at home was in September 2018 against Lyon, when Guardiola was serving a ban and watched from the stands. History repeated itself in concerning fashion as Leverkusen exposed vulnerabilities that have become increasingly apparent since last season.
Leverkusen Capitalise on City's Defensive Frailties
The visitors grew into the game after an early scare when Nathan Aké forced a spectacular save from Mark Flekken. Leverkusen's breakthrough came when City were caught out centrally, with the ball eventually finding Ibrahim Maza on the right. His cross twisted City's defence, allowing Christian Kofane to touch back for Alejandro Grimaldo, who drove a low shot past James Trafford into the corner.
City's ongoing absence of Rodri was particularly evident, with the midfield lacking its usual defensive awareness to snuff out attacks at their infancy. Leverkusen repeatedly found space behind City's defence and could have had a penalty when Ernest Poku appeared to be fouled in the area, though referee João Pinheiro waved play on.
Second Half Substitutions Fail to Prevent Further Damage
Guardiola responded at half-time by introducing Nico O'Reilly, Jérémy Doku, and Phil Foden, but the changes backfired almost immediately. Leverkusen doubled their lead just after the restart when Maza again had time to deliver from the right, and Patrik Schick rose above a sleeping Nathan Aké to head powerfully beyond Trafford.
The camera immediately panned to Erling Haaland warming up, and Guardiola soon sent on the Norwegian striker along with Rayan Cherki. Haaland immediately made an impact, heading at goal and later forcing Flekken into a diving save at his feet, but City couldn't find the breakthrough despite dominating the closing stages.
The result raises questions about City's depth and whether their dominance in European football's premier competition is beginning to wane. With Leeds United visiting in just four days, Guardiola faces mounting pressure to rediscover the winning formula that made City such a formidable force in recent seasons.
