- City had led Feyenoord 3-0 but collapsed with 15 minutes to go and drew 3-3
- They have now conceded 17 games in their last six matches in dire run of form
- Liverpool correspondent LEWIS STEELE tells all on bombshell chat with Mo Salah – LISTEN NOW to It’s All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Alan Shearer was left astounded by Manchester City’s late collapse against Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
City looked set to finally end their dire run of form at the Etihad when they breezed into a 3-0 lead thanks to an Erling Haaland brace and another strike from Ilkay Gundogan.
Pep Guardiola’s side had lost their last five matches – including 4-1 against Sporting Lisbon last time out in Europe – and had hope to get back to winning ways before a difficult trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.
That seemed a certain to happen in Manchester with around 15 minutes remaining, but a late blitz from the Dutch side saw three goals go in and the English champions rocked once again as the game ended 3-3.
The result leaves them down in 15th in the Champions League table, two points short of the top eight and having played one more game than half of the teams in the competition.
And Alan Shearer, who was watching the game for Amazon Prime, was left stunned by City’s latest collapse, with there currently being no sign that their struggles are going to end.
Alan Shearer was left stunned as Manchester City collapsed once again on Tuesday night
Pep Guardiola’s side were 3-0 up with 15 minutes to play but ended up drawing 3-3 at home
Shearer also picked out one specific moment which he felt summed up the side’s struggles
‘Conceding the way they did at the weekend, three again here. They look weak, they look frail, they’re giving the opposition far too many chances, Shearer said, breaking down the performance. They were cruising midway through this game.
‘What you cannot do is give the opposition hope and that’s exactly what they did.’
Former City player and manager Stuart Pearce, meanwhile, added: ‘Liverpool will be rubbing their hands together, especially the way they play. Salah going in behind, Diaz, the runs that they make with and without the ball, they’ll look at this and think it’s got to be their tactic.’
Feyenoord’s goals all came in the last sixth of the game, with Anis Hadj Moussa getting one back on 75 minutes and Santiago Gimenez in the 82nd.
City then had just a matter of minutes to hold out to cling onto the three points, but David Hancko bagged an equaliser one minute from time as home heads dropped.
Shearer was left puzzles by the nature of City’s play in the closing embers, and pinpointed one exact moment that summed up their current struggles.
‘Even when they were winning 3-2 with two minutes to go and they’re trying to take a quick free-kick,’ the former striker began. ‘Why? You’re winning the game, there’s no need to do that, sit on the ball.
‘It’s been an absolute disaster for them this evening after being in such a comfortable position.’
Feyenoord scored three goals late on to earn a point at the home of the Premier League champions
The result meant City dropped to 15th in the Champions League table and they could slip further this week
City have now not won in six games, and have conceded 17 goals in their last six matches
City have now conceded 17 goals in their last six games – a run which has seen them lose five games and win just once.
That includes a 4-0 defeat by Tottenham at the weekend which saw them concede chances at will, while they also shipped four to Sporting, three on Tuesday and two on three occasions.
Former City defended Gael Clichy could barely believe his eyes when analysing the game, and spoke about his ex-side’s defensive efforts. He said: ‘I’m lost for words. You can talk about what just happened but you win and lose games in both boxes. Going forward you need to be creative and give them freedom but defensively there are rules for defenders on how to defend.
‘If there’s pressure on the ball you cannot have your ball so high. Every detail we spoke about before the game happened in the game. From a very comfortable game 3-0 up, everyone thinking about the Liverpool game, you find yourself in a position where you haven’t lost a game but it feels like a defeat.’
