What’s going on at Manchester City? After five consecutive defeats, Pep Guardiola’s team found themselves 3-0 ahead after 53 minutes of their final Champions League match tonight. But then the defensive errors that have haunted them of late returned as Dutch visitors Feyenoord scored three times in the final 15 minutes to take an unlikely point.

Erling Haaland (two) and Ilkay Gundogan had given City control, only for Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko to stun the Etihad Stadium.

City were sluggish in the opening stages after beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 at home and hardly helped themselves early on as Jack Grealish’s goal shot was kept out by teammate Phil Foden, denying him a first goal of the season.

However, it took until a minute before half time for City to take the lead. Haaland was fouled in the penalty area by Quinten Timber and rose to send Timon Wellenreuther the wrong way from the spot to become the fastest player to score 50 goals in the Champions League.

Gundogan added a second from a corner five minutes into the second half and Haaland slid in for his second shortly afterwards.

Everything went smoothly until Moussa converted after a mistake by Josko Gvardiol in the 75th minute and then substitute Gimenez set up a tight finish by scrambling home a second with eight minutes to go. Goalkeeper Ederson then went for a walkabout and Hancko headed in the equalizer with a minute of the 90 to go.

Guardiola’s men will have to defend a lot better on Sunday when they visit Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The AthleticsSam Lee and Liam Tharme analyze the talking points.

Expectations dropped and boos at the end

It was quite noticeable in the stadium before kick-off, and even during the match, that expectations for City had dropped significantly in light of recent results and performances.

This is of course a temporary matter: if the four-in-a-row Premier League champions get back to their old levels soon, the high standards will return, and if they start dropping points again, there will come a time when there is more to be asked – but rather than hoping to see the usual sparkling football, basic competence, a bit of fight and some energy were all that was needed, going by what the supporters said.

And while everything went well – nothing spectacular, but certainly solid enough given the circumstances – it all came crashing down again when they conceded three goals in the final fifteen minutes, each more farcical than the last, and in a way.

Now that it’s Liverpool’s turn at Anfield, things are looking really bleak. That basic competence cannot come soon enough.

The crowd’s boos at the end showed that even the lowest expectations had not been met.

Sam Lee

What’s going on at the back?

Somehow City’s clean sheet disappeared from the jaws of a 3-0 win with 15 minutes to go and the defense fell apart.

A straight long ball caused Moussa Ederson to turn. Manuel Akanji headed the first pass away, but Gvardiol tried to pass the ball back to Ederson. It meant City kept just five clean sheets in 19 games this season.

Guardiola said ahead of the match that “a lot of minimal factors are the reason” for City’s five consecutive defeats, in which they scored 14 goals. The situation remained under control for 75 minutes, with Feyenoord’s only big chance before scoring coming via a neat through ball from midfielder Hwang In-beom to winger Igor Paixao, who rushed his shot.

Within six minutes, Feyenoord’s consolation turned into the game, as City failed to defend a cross at the back post – Gvardiol was overloaded two-on-one – and Gimenez tapped in from a cutback.

Then another direct ball, with City’s high line holding, but Paixao timing his run perfectly, circling Ederson as the goalkeeper tries to sweep up, before crossing to marauding left-back Hancko to rise above Rico Lewis and slot in the equalizer to headline.

Guardiola stared at the floor. There was nowhere else to look. According to Opta, his team is the first team in the history of the Champions League to only take the lead with three goals in the 75th minute and not win the match in question.

Hancko after the equalizer (Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Liam Therma

City’s indirect threat from corners

It wasn’t City’s hallmark for the first two goals – there was no cutting an opponent open with a thousand passes and creating tap-ins from cuts – but the quality of set-pieces is a little more important on European nights.

As City lined up for kick-off, it was noticeable that City only had three real aerial threats (Akanji, Gvardiol and Haaland). Feyenoord was a much bigger team in comparison.

Although they didn’t win many first touches, it was City’s response to the second (and third) ball that made them effective. City’s territorial dominance meant corners were plentiful, and they mixed between inswingers, outswingers and corners. For the opener, from a Foden outswinger delivered from the left, Akanji rose highest and nodded back to the near post, where City had numbers. Haaland was kicked by Timber as he tried to clear, and City were awarded a penalty. Sloppy, but effective.

Gündogan doubled the lead early in the second half after Foden’s inswinger headed away from the right, attacking the ball from his position on the edge of the penalty area (where he was positioned to stop any counter-attack) and firing in through a jumble of bodies .

Man City doubles lead over Feyenoord! ⚽️⚽️

Ilkay Gundogan’s long shot goes in off a deflection!#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/tDpK4y50bp

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 26, 2024

Liam Therma

Gundogan shows he still has it

Gundogan’s return to City in the summer after a season at Barcelona has so far not proven to be the no-brainer we all expected. After a slow start, things have deteriorated in recent weeks as injuries around him have increased the demands on his shoulders and exposed some of his shortcomings.

It’s no secret that City lack a bit of physical presence in midfield and Gundogan was one of those too easily exposed to a quick run or a quick pass around the corner. Once again the effort has been there – see his desperate attempt to stop Tottenham’s fourth season on Saturday night – but whether it is his age (34), fatigue or both, he is struggling to keep up.

Even the ball-handling has let him down at times and that has only added to City’s problems on the break, as when the players most reliable in possession turn it over and are unable to get it back win, you start to struggle.

But to continue the overall theme of the evening, his performance here was more like it.

His goal had the luck of a deflection, but he played a lovely ball to Matheus Nunes to put City through to third place, and overall it was a tidier performance than recently.

Gundogan is joined by Grealish after scoring (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Sunday’s challenge will be considerably more difficult, but this was a night to get some feeling back, and Gundogan certainly succeeded.

Sam Lee

What did Pep Guardiola say?

Speaking to Amazon Prime, the game’s British broadcaster, Guardiola said: “The game was fine at 3-0 and played well, but then we conceded a lot of goals because we were not stable. We gave them the first one and then the other one, that’s why it was difficult.

“We have lost a lot of games lately, we are vulnerable and of course we needed a win. The match was good for confidence. We played a good level, but the first time something happened we had problems. I don’t know if it’s mental. The first goal can’t happen, and neither can the second. Then we forget what’s happening, we were desperate to win and do well; we are doing well, but not winning games.

“The situation is what it is. We played a good game, but at that level we can’t give them away.

“At the moment I’m not ready to think about that (if City need to win their last three games to finish in the top eight and qualify directly for the round of 16). We have to recover and prepare for the next match. If we’re not able to win games like we did today, it’s hard to do it.”

What next for Manchester City?

Sunday December 1: Liverpool (A), Premier League, 4:30 PM UK, 11:30 AM ET

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(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images))