Manchester Metropolis blow three-goal lead as Feyenoord produce gorgeous fightback

Manchester Metropolis’s shedding sequence is over – simply. However they’re nonetheless an inventory ship that may go down at any second. Three-nil up after 75 minutes, a late horror present ceded the benefit as Feyenoord prayed on their nerves through Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Giménez and David Hancko who drew Feyenoord stage to earn a well-fought level.

After 5 consecutive losses, a canter of a win was on the playing cards that might have made life for Pep Guardiola and his gamers really feel far brighter forward of the champions subsequent problem: Sunday’s journey to Anfield to tackle Liverpool. However after Metropolis’s shaky end right here, they may hardly relish the journey to Arne Slot’s leaders.

Feyenoord, who arrived because the Eredivisie’s fourth-placed facet, had appeared overwhelmed by two Erling Haaland strikes and one from Ilkay Gündogan. All got here after the interval as Guardiola discarded the slim 4-3-3 that proved toothless towards Ange Postecoglu’s Tottenham for a 4-2-3-1 that, within the opening 45 minutes, nonetheless allowed gaps and was profligate.

The larger image, although, is that Rodri stays badly missed – for his regular head and funky management. Hadj Moussa and Giménez’s Seventy fifth- and 82nd-minute strikes every got here attributable to Josko Gvardiol shedding his calm and unloading sloppy passes, whereas Ederson was at fault for speeding out for the guests’ equaliser.

To face Feyenoord, whose six factors got here in wins over Benfica and Girona, Guardiola dropped Kyle Walker and Savinho from Saturday’s 4-0 humbling by Spurs. In got here Matheus Nunes and Jack Grealish, with Nathan Aké retained after changing the injured John Stones at half‑time.

It was no shock to see Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, as serial winners, joking beforehand and every have been concerned in a fluid transfer by which the latter crossed, the ball was turned again by Manuel Akanji, the Norwegian made a header however noticed Timon Wellenreuther save with a frantic dive low to the proper.

Wellenreuther was at fault subsequent, although. A misdirected move out from the goalkeeper was mopped up by Metropolis and all of the sudden Grealish’s volley rocketed goalwards, although Foden’s again deflected it away. However now we noticed the clumsiness that has troubled Guardiola’s facet as a sluggish Ilkay Gündogan was robbed, Metropolis turned, and Josko Gvardiol’s muscle was required to stymie Feyenoord alongside the proper.

This fed right into a present of Guardiola exasperation. So, too, did Aké’s upending of Julián Carranza, and an Igor Paixão burst inside from his left wing to change: the No 14 continued his run and ultimately the ball got here to him however a flying effort went excessive.

Innovative is one other aspect Metropolis have lacked and whereas Foden’s pivot-and-shot made Wellenreuther put it aside was an emblem of this. One other challenge has been the gaps in midfield and the way in which Feyenoord superior down the left was one of many many examples, inflicting the ever-more pissed off Guardiola to direct his ire at Bernardo Silva for not patrolling his flank.

Metropolis’s famed press malfunctioned, too. Brian Priske’s males stroked possession about within the method their hosts wished to. Feyenoord stored slipping by means of them – as when the ball went tap-tap-tap-tap ahead, and Paixão hit the ball straight into Ederson’s palms.

Defending, Metropolis regarded a objective ready to occur. Assault was far simpler: a swashbuckling Foden surge that culminated in a blocked try took his workforce to the tip they wished to function in. After a Hwang In-beom rocket was repelled, Metropolis moved upfield once more. However the identical lack of precision meant Haaland hit a leg as a substitute of the again of Wellenreuther’s internet.

However then a break. Quinten Timber the offender for catching Haaland and Radu Petrescu pointed to the spot. Feyenoord’s captain misplaced the argument with the referee and, after a delay, Haaland rammed the penalty into the underside proper nook. The reduction amongst Metropolis fans was tangible.

Might Metropolis develop from right here and swagger by means of the second half forward of the weekend take a look at? The reply was sure. Gvardiol zipped the ball to Haaland on the quick tempo required and the No 9 glimpsed objective however became site visitors. Nunes, extra direct, shot; a nook was claimed, and Metropolis have been about to attain a second for the primary time since blasting Sparta Prague 5-0 right here on 23 October.

The ball was flighted in from the proper quadrant, it popped out to Gündogan, and his left-booted volley pinged into the web off David Hancko, wrongfooting Wellenreuther, and people sporting blue breathed calmer.

Metropolis moved into relaxed mode seconds later through the form of back-to-front foray that had appeared extinct just lately. Akanji fed Gündogan whose pirouette presaged a move to the marauding Nunes down the proper. He skated ahead and skimmed over a ball that had Haaland, ever the arch predator, sliding house for 3-0.

Guardiola, as he likes to, pointed his celebration in the direction of the luxurious seats within the gods behind him, and his gamers cruised. Grealish, Gvardiol and Foden all went shut. Metropolis approached their typical imperiousness so when Akanji sprayed the ball straight to Hancko he was relieved the Feyenoord defender steered broad.

No such reduction for Gvardiol whose repeat of his haplessness towards Spurs allied arrange Feyenoord’s comeback and Metropolis’s crumble.