Leverkusen Silence The Etihad As City Suffer A Costly European Setback
Manchester City endured a bruising Champions League night at the Etihad, falling 2–0 to an organised, disciplined, and razor-sharp Bayer Leverkusen side who punished every mistake and survived wave after wave of late pressure.
Under the Manchester night sky, Manchester City expected a routine step forward in their Champions League journey. Instead, they ran headfirst into a stubborn, streetwise Bayer Leverkusen who delivered a tactical punch that Pep Guardiola’s men couldn’t shake off. A 2–0 defeat City’s unbeaten European run shattered, and their grip on the top spots loosened.
City started brightly, pinning Leverkusen back and carving out early chances. Ake forced a smart save, Lewis tested the keeper, and Reijnders drove forward with purpose. By the 20-minute mark, the hosts had generated 0.52 expected goals, and everything suggested the breakthrough was coming.
But football rarely reads the script.
In the 23rd minute, Die Werkself sliced City apart with a counter of pure precision. Tillman surged forward, Maza drifted into space, and Christian Kofane unselfish and alert laid the ball off for captain Alejandro Grimaldo. With ice in his veins, Grimaldo drilled a first-time finish into the bottom corner. 1–0. Etihad stunned.
City mounted a response, piling bodies forward, but Leverkusen’s resolve stiffened. Flekken was unbeatable, parrying efforts from Reijnders, Bobb, and Nico. At the other end, Poku and Maza threatened to double the lead. At halftime, the visitors led despite managing only 0.28 xG. Efficiency over elegance.
The second half brought more urgency from Guardiola’s men, but also more space for Leverkusen to exploit.
In the 54th minute, the Germans struck again a goal straight from a textbook. Grimaldo switched play, Maza measured a floated cross, and Patrick Schick rose above Ake with a striker’s instinct. A delicate glance, bottom corner, 2–0. Trafford rooted. City rattled.
From there, waves of sky-blue pressure crashed onto the Leverkusen goal. O’Reilly’s long-range effort. Doku’s darting runs. Foden’s crafted crosses. Haaland’s wrestled attempts. Cherki’s free-kick clawed away from the top corner. Even a near own-goal from Poku forced a full-stretch save from the brilliant Mark Flekken. The Dutchman refused to blink.
City accumulated a massive 1.84 xG in the second half alone. But numbers don’t score. Finishing does — and Leverkusen did it twice with ruthless calm.
By the final whistle, Kasper Hjulmand’s side had earned their second straight Champions League clean sheet, climbing up to 13th in the 36-team table. Man City, meanwhile, slid to sixth and suffered back-to-back defeats for the second time this season — a sudden jolt in a campaign that had looked smooth and assured.
Guardiola will know there were positives. Reijnders was a driving force. Savinho showed courage. The chances, plenty of them, were created. But he will also know that vulnerability in transition and a lack of composure in the box cost them dearly.
Leverkusen came to the Etihad with belief, a plan, and a hunger to rewrite their European story. They leave with all three — and the scoreboard to show for it.
City, bruised but not broken, must regroup quickly. The margins are fine, the stakes enormous, and this defeat serves as a sharp reminder: in Europe, nothing is guaranteed.
