Manchester City’s losing sequence is over – just. But they remain a listing ship that can go down at any moment. “Fragile” was Pep Guardiola’s summation of his team’s state, and a clue to the manager’s own mood was the cut to his nose that he stated was self‑inflicted, by a finger, due to the contest’s travails.
City were 3-0 up after 75 minutes but a late horror show ceded the advantage as Feyenoord preyed on home nerves via Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Giménez and David Hancko, who drew Feyenoord level to secure a well-fought point.
After five consecutive defeats, on the cards was a canter of a victory that would have made Guardiola and his players feel far brighter before the champions’ next challenge: the game at Liverpool on Sunday. After the shaky finish, however, the trip to Arne Slot’s leaders is the last one City would want.
Feyenoord, who arrived as the Eredivisie’s fourth-placed side, appeared beaten by two Erling Haaland goals and one from Ilkay Gündogan. The second and third goals came shortly after the interval as Guardiola discarded the narrow 4-3-3 that proved toothless against Ange Postecoglu’s Tottenham on Saturday for a 4-2-3-1 that, in the opening 45 minutes, still allowed gaps and was profligate.
The bigger picture, here, is that Rodri remains badly missed – for his steady head and cool control. Hadj Moussa’s and Giménez’s 75th‑ and 82nd-minute strikes each came because of Josko Gvardiol losing his calm and playing sloppy passes, while Ederson was at fault for rushing out for the visitors’ equaliser.
City are 15th, with eight points and nine to play for, so finishing in the top-eight berth that takes a side straight into the last 16 is no gimme, particularly as Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are two of their final three foes, Club Brugge the other. City conceded at least twice for a sixth successive game for the first time since 1963. Guardiola was calm afterwards, while acknowledging none of Feyenoord’s “three episodes” should have been allowed.
City began as relaxed as they ended haunted, Haaland and Phil Foden sharing a joke before kick-off then taking part in a fluid move: the latter crossed, the ball was turned back by Manuel Akanji, and the Norwegian headed but Timon Wellenreuther saved with a frantic dive low to the right.
Wellenreuther was then at fault. A misdirected pass was mopped up by City and suddenly a Jack Grealish volley rocketed goalwards before Foden’s back deflected it away.
But now we saw the clumsiness that has troubled Guardiola’s side as a sluggish Gündogan was robbed, City turned, and Gvardiol’s muscle was required to stymie Feyenoord along the right.
Cutting edge is another element City have lacked and while Foden’s pivot-and-shot made Wellenreuther save it was an emblem of this. Another issue has been the midfield gaps and the way Feyenoord punched down the left was one of many examples, causing the ever-more frustrated Guardiola to direct his ire at Bernardo Silva for not patrolling his flank.
City’s famed press malfunctioned, too. Brian Priske’s men stroked possession about in the manner their hosts wanted to. Feyenoord kept slipping through – as when the ball went tap-tap-tap-tap forward, and Igor Paixão hit the ball straight to Ederson.
Defending, City looked like a goal waiting to happen. Attack was far easier: a swashbuckling Foden surge that culminated in a blocked attempt took his team to the end in which they wanted to operate. After a Hwang In-beom rocket was repelled, City moved upfield again. But the same lack of precision meant Haaland hit a leg instead of kissing the back of Wellenreuther’s net.
But then a break. Quinten Timber caught Haaland and Radu Petrescu pointed to the spot. Feyenoord’s captain lost the argument with the referee and, after a delay, Haaland rammed the penalty into the bottom right corner, the relief among City enthusiasts tangible.
Could City grow from here and swagger through the second half before the weekend test? The answer was yes – up to 75 minutes. Gvardiol zipped the ball to Haaland at the fast pace required but the No 9 turned into traffic. Matheus Nunes, more direct, shot; a corner was claimed, and City were about to score a second for the first time since blasting Sparta Prague 5-0 here on 23 October. The ball was flighted in from the right quadrant, it popped out to Gündogan, and his left-foot volley pinged into the net off Hancko, wrongfooting Wellenreuther, and those wearing blue breathed calmer.
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City moved on to easy street seconds later via the kind of back-to-front foray that had seemed extinct recently. Akanji fed Gündogan whose pirouette presaged a pass to the marauding Nunes down the right. He skated forward and skimmed over a cross that had Haaland, ever the arch predator, sliding home for 3-0.
Guardiola, as he likes to, pointed a celebration towards the posh seats in the gods behind him, and his players cruised. Grealish, Gvardiol and Foden all went close. City approached their usual imperiousness, so when Akanji sprayed the ball straight to Hancko he was relieved the Feyenoord defender steered wide. But his side’s worrying crumble was about to begin.
