With 75 minutes gone on the clock against Feyenoord, it looked like Manchester City finally had their mojo back following their five-match losing streak.
A brace from Erling Haaland, which included a record-breaking opener, either side of an Ilkay Gundogan goal had put Pep Guardiola’s side in a commanding position going into the final quarter of an hour of the Champions League clash at the Ethiad.
But then, the roof came in, as the Dutch side hit back through Anis Hadj Moussa and Santiago Gimenez before David Hancko scored an 89th-minute equaliser to complete a famous comeback for the visitors and pile more misery on Guardiola and company.
The draw means that City’s wait for a win goes in, with their last victory coming on October 26, when they beat Southampton 1-0.
Alan Shearer tears into Manchester City
Alan Shearer was on commentary duties for Amazon Prime and as City fans streamed out of the stadium on the final whistle, the former England skipper delivered a withering assessment of what he had just seen.
“They looked weak,” Shearer said of City. “They looked light. They looked frail. They’ve given the opposition far too many chances. They were cruising midway through this game.
“Whatever you do, what you cannot do is give the opposition chances, give them a little bit of hope. And that’s exactly what they did. Even when they were winning 3-2 with two minutes to go.
“Why? Kill the game. You’re winning the game, there’s no need to do that. Sit on the ball. The game management was awful. They’ve been punished.
“It’s been an absolute disaster for them this evening after being in such a comfortable position.”
Where Man City stand in the Champions League this season
As well as falling eight points off the pace in the Premier League, City are now up against it in the Champions League, as their hopes of automatic qualification for the last-16 took a significant blow.
City begin the fifth round of Champions League matches sitting tenth in the league phase of the competition, but dropped to 15th place following the draw with Feyenoord.
The top eight teams qualify automatically and are seeded for the first knockout round, with teams finishing between ninth and 16th taking on sides that finish between 17th and 24th in a two-legged tie to qualify for the last-16.
| Opponent | Date |
| Juventus (A) | 11/12/2024 |
| Paris Saint-Germain (A) | 22/01/2025 |
| Club Brugge (H) | 29/01/2025 |
Given City’s injury worries, they will be desperate to avoid extra fixtures this season, so a top-eight finish will be seen as vital by the club.
City will now travel to Italy to face Juventus next month, with clashes against Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge following in the New Year.
