Manchester City suffered a rare Champions League home defeat as Bayer Leverkusen delivered a clinical and composed performance to win 2–0 at the Etihad Stadium. First-half strikes from Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick punished an unusually disjointed City side, whose heavy rotation failed to pay off.
City entered the match with a 23-game unbeaten run at home in the group stage, but that streak was ended after a night in which the hosts looked unusually vulnerable. With several key names rested, including Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, City lacked authority in midfield and sharpness in the final third. The absence of Rodri was particularly significant, as Leverkusen repeatedly exposed spaces that are normally well protected by the Spanish midfielder.
City carved out early chances through Nathan Aké and Omar Marmoush, but Mark Flekken produced important saves to keep the hosts at bay. Leverkusen, meanwhile, threatened through quick counterattacks, with Ernest Poku and Ibrahim Maza stretching City’s reshuffled defence. A penalty appeal for the visitors was waved away after Aït-Nouri appeared to pull Poku down inside the area.
The breakthrough came when Leverkusen worked the ball neatly on the right, allowing Christian Kofane to set up Grimaldo, who powered a precise finish beyond James Trafford. City struggled to respond, with their rotated front line lacking cohesion and incision. Efforts from Oscar Bobb and Tijjani Reijnders brought further stops from Flekken, but the visitors never looked flustered.
Guardiola made triple changes at halftime, introducing Doku, Foden, and O’Reilly, yet Leverkusen struck again before City could settle. Maza delivered a superb cross from the right and Schick rose above Aké to guide a header into the corner, doubling the advantage and silencing the home crowd.
Haaland and Cherki were introduced just after the hour to salvage the game, and the Norwegian immediately injected urgency, forcing Flekken into action and dominating aerial duels. However, City’s late pressure produced no breakthrough as Leverkusen defended with discipline and composure.
The result leaves City on 10 points with a challenging clash against Real Madrid up next. For Leverkusen, the victory showcased their tactical maturity, resilience, and ability to capitalise on City’s uncharacteristic errors.
