It was meant to be a day of celebration however as Storm Bert made its means by means of England, Tottenham Hotspur blew away Manchester Metropolis’s hopes and ambitions by beating them 4-0 – their heaviest Premier League defeat in SEVEN years.
The shock end result additionally ended the champions’ 35-match unbeaten run at dwelling within the competitors.
Forward of kick-off, the Etihad Stadium celebrated the Ballon d’Or being awarded to Rodri, with fireworks and the floodlights dimmed as their injured Spanish midfielder and his trophy have been paraded.
The pre-match temper of optimism was additional enhanced by this week’s announcement of Pep Guardiola’s new contract, ending hypothesis that he would possibly depart in the summertime, one thing he admitted he had thought-about.
He stated the membership’s four-match dropping run was a spur for him to remain on and switch round their fortunes. However that job simply grew to become greater, as Spurs shocked the house crowd.
Ange Postecoglou’s aspect went 2-0 up contained in the opening 20 minutes, by means of James Maddison’s good brace, earlier than doubling their benefit within the second half with targets from Pedro Porro and eventually, in stoppage time, Brennan Johnson.
The end result implies that Liverpool can prolong their lead over Metropolis to eight factors in the event that they beat Twentieth-placed Southampton tomorrow.
And it might then get even worse for Guardiola’s males – in the event that they lose their subsequent Premier League match, at Anfield on 1 December, the champions might be 11 factors behind their opponents.
Man Metropolis’s subsequent 5 fixtures
What Guardiola stated
“On this second we’re fragile defensively. We began rather well as regular however we couldn’t rating after which after that we conceded. After that, we conceded some extra which is troublesome for our feelings proper now.
“In eight years we’ve got by no means lived this sort of state of affairs. Now we’ve got to stay it and break it by profitable the subsequent video games, particularly the subsequent one. Now we see issues in a technique, possibly in a number of weeks we’ll see it in a different way.
“In fact [the players are struggling]. We’re blissful once we win and anxious once we do not win. It is regular. There can be an issue in the event that they weren’t nervous or I’m not nervous.
“We aren’t used to this example however life is like this. Typically it occurs and we’ve got to just accept it. It’s what it’s now and we’ll arise and do it.
“The hearth is while you win a number of video games, which is healthier than if you find yourself dropping, however we settle for this. We now have to maneuver ahead and break it and take a look at.
“Yeah, by way of Liverpool profitable and profitable, it’s true [that defeat at Anfield would end Man City’s title hopes]. We’re not eager about profitable or dropping [the title]. We aren’t within the state of affairs to consider what’s going to occur on the finish of the season.”
Stats behind Saturday’s shock scoreline
Man Metropolis are the primary reigning English top-flight champions to lose 5 video games in a row in all competitions since Chelsea in March 1956.
Metropolis have misplaced 5 consecutive video games in all competitions for the primary time since April 2006 underneath Stuart Pearce, and three in a row within the Premier League for the primary time since March 2016 when Manuel Pellegrini was their supervisor.
This was Metropolis’s heaviest dwelling defeat in any competitors since February 2003 (1-5 v Arsenal at Maine Street).
Metropolis have been three video games away from reaching the third-longest unbeaten dwelling run in Premier League historical past, behind solely Chelsea’s 86 matches between March 2004 and October 2008, and Liverpool’s 68 from Could 2017 to January 2021.
It was Metropolis’s first defeat on the Etihad Stadium since they misplaced to Brentford within the Premier League in November 2022, ending their longest ever unbeaten run at dwelling in all competitions (52 video games).
Metropolis had 23 photographs on this sport to no avail, their most in a Premier League sport they failed to attain in since a 2-0 loss to Man Utd in March 2021 (additionally 23 photographs).
This was simply the third time a group has received away in opposition to the reigning Premier League champions by 4+ targets, with Spurs chargeable for two of these (additionally Man Utd 1-6 Man Metropolis in 2011, Leicester Metropolis 1-6 Spurs in 2017).
Spurs are Guardiola’s nemesis. Together with seven within the Premier League, they’ve inflicted 9 defeats on Pep in all competitions, greater than every other opponent. Liverpool, who Metropolis face subsequent, have crushed him eight instances up to now.
Guardiola misplaced a house sport by 4 targets for simply the second time in his managerial profession – at Bayern Munich, he misplaced 0-4 in opposition to Actual Madrid in April 2014.
It’s Guardiola’s joint-biggest loss as a supervisor, his fourth defeat by 4 targets.
Guardiola has conceded 2+ targets in 5 straight video games for the primary time as a supervisor; this 4-0 defeat follows 2-1 losses to Spurs (EFL Cup), Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion, and the 4-1 reverse to Sporting (UEFA Champions League).
When Porro scored for Spurs within the 52nd minute, it was the primary time Metropolis had been 3-0 down at dwelling in a Premier League sport since February 2016 v Leicester, underneath Pellegrini.
Maddison’s second aim made it the earliest Metropolis have trailed 2-0 in a Premier League dwelling sport since December 2010 (nineteenth minute v Everton).