Manchester City suffered a shock 2–0 Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen after Pep Guardiola’s heavy rotation backfired at the Etihad.
Manchester City fell 2–0 to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday after Pep Guardiola made ten changes to his usual starting XI, resting key players including Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Gianluigi Donnarumma. Leverkusen capitalised on City’s lacklustre display, with Alex Grimaldo firing in the opener before Patrik Schick doubled the lead early in the second half, exposing frailties in City’s makeshift defence.
The defeat ends City’s 24-game unbeaten home run in the Champions League group stage and marks their second straight loss after falling to Newcastle at the weekend. Guardiola, who recently admitted he felt “embarrassed and ashamed” over a confrontation with a cameraman, watched his side struggle creatively and defensively, even after introducing Haaland late on.