The worst run of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career continues after Manchester City lost a fifth successive match in all competitions.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the reigning Premier League champions’ shocking recent form after Saturday evening’s humiliating home loss to Tottenham.
Tottenham 2 Manchester City 1, Carabao Cup, October 30
Bournemouth 2 Manchester City 1, Premier League, November 2
Manchester City’s surprise stumble continued at Bournemouth (Adam Davy/PA)
Again City fell 2-0 behind, Evanilson’s second-half strike adding to Antoine Semenyo’s early opener. Again they got one back, thanks to defender Josko Gvardiol, but they suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in more than a year. It also ended a 32-match unbeaten run in the league.
Sporting Lisbon 4 Manchester City 1, Champions League, November 5
Ruben Amorim got the better of Pep Guardiola ahead of his move to Manchester United (Zed Jameson/PA)
Ruben Amorim enjoyed a dream send-off in his final home match before leaving Sporting to take the hot-seat at City’s rivals Manchester United. The Portuguese champions bounced back from Phil Foden’s early opener in stunning fashion, with Viktor Gyokeres’ hat-trick complemented by Maxi Araujo’s effort on a jaw-dropping evening in Lisbon.
Brighton 2 Manchester City 1, Premier League, November 9
Manchester City 0 Tottenham 4, Premier League, November 23
James Maddison put Spurs on course for victory at the Etihad Stadium (Martin Rickett/PA)
The season reached a nadir just two days after City announced that manager Guardiola had signed a two-year extension. An evening that started with a celebration of injured Rodri’s Ballon d’Or triumph ended in an embarrassing loss, with James Maddison’s first-half brace added to early in the second half when Pedro Porro – who did not play a game for City in a three-year stint – lashed home. Substitute Brennan Johnson completed the humiliation in added time. City had never lost three consecutive Premier League matches under Guardiola before but this loss made it the club’s worst losing streak since a run of six in 2006. It was a remarkable end to City’s unbeaten 52-match run at the Etihad Stadium, which stretched back to November 2022.