Manchester City suffered a rare Champions League home defeat on Tuesday night as Bayer Leverkusen delivered a disciplined, clinical performance to claim a 2–0 victory at the Etihad Stadium. The loss marks City’s first home defeat in the competition’s league phase in seven years, and their second straight defeat in all competitions.
Pep Guardiola, overseeing his 100th Champions League match as Manchester City manager, named a heavily rotated side following the weekend loss at Newcastle—resting Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku. But the changes backfired almost immediately, with Leverkusen controlling key moments and exploiting City’s lack of rhythm.
Despite City dominating early possession, the visitors struck first. A swift counter-attack released Christian Kofane down the right, and his precise cross was met by Alejandro Grimaldo, who smashed home the opener in the 23rd minute. The goal punctured City’s early tempo, and the hosts struggled to create clear chances. Their best moment of the half came in stoppage time when Tijjani Reijnders forced a strong save from goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
Guardiola reacted with a triple substitution at the break, introducing Foden, Doku, and Nico O’Reilly. But any hopes of an immediate revival were crushed nine minutes into the second half. Ibrahim Maza curled a superb ball into the box, and Patrik Schick guided a precise header past Stefan Ortega to double Leverkusen’s lead.
Haaland and Rayan Cherki were later introduced, and the Norwegian striker had a flurry of chances—two dragged wide and one smothered brilliantly by Flekken. Still, City never looked fully convincing. Leverkusen remained compact, organised, and dangerous on the break, becoming the first German team to win at the Etihad in the Champions League since Guardiola’s own Bayern Munich managed the feat in 2013.
Supporters voiced their frustration at full-time, booing as the players left the field. With City’s league-phase position now under threat, the defeat raises new concerns about their reliance on Haaland and the effectiveness of their squad depth. Guardiola’s side must regroup quickly ahead of a critical away tie at Real Madrid.
