MANCHESTER City blew a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League as their wretched form continued at a stunned Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s side looked to be cruising after two goals from Erling Haaland and another from Ilkay Gundogan put the hosts into a commanding lead.
But the Dutch visitors staged a stunning comeback to take a point back to Rotterdam to the delight of their 5,000 travelling fans.
Anis Hadj Moussa took advantage of a mistake by Josko Gvardiol to score Feyenoord’s first goal, before substitute Santiago Gimenez chested in his side’s second in the 82nd minute to set up a grandstand finish.
The visitors completed a comeback to remember when David Hancko pounced in the 89th minute to leave City boss Guardiola shaking his head in disbelief – and some City fans booing at full-time.
Despite ending a five-match losing run, City head into Sunday’s game at Premier League title rivals Liverpool having failed to win their past six matches in all competitions.
While Feyenoord fans celebrated wildly at the end, City’s players looked shell-shocked after another game to forget.
In the space of four weeks, Guardiola’s side have gone out of the EFL Cup, lost three Premier League games on the spin and dropped five points out of six in the Champions League.
This felt like another defeat at the end, with City left to contemplate having conceded two or more goals in six successive matches in all competitions for the first time since May 1963.
The night had started so well.
Haaland set them on their way from the penalty spot after being fouled by Quinten Timber before Gundogan’s left-foot volley, which took a wicked deflection, doubled the lead soon after half-time.
When Haaland swept in to divert Matheus Nunes’ low cross over the line in the 53rd minute, it looked all over as a contest – until Gvardiol’s careless pass allowed Feyenoord to start their comeback.
It was another sloppy performance by a City side that has lost its way.
Guardiola wore a pained expression at the end.
City are 15th in the Champions League table after dropping seven points from five matches and could face an unwanted extra two play-off matches in February unless they can turn their form around.
The 2023 winners go to Juventus next in the competition on 11 December and then face Paris St-Germain away on 22 January, before hosting Club Brugge in their final group-phase match on 29 January