City suffer their first home Champions League league-phase defeat since 2018 after Bayer Leverkusen secure a 2–0 win at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City players during 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen
Manchester City suffered a 2–0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, after Pep Guardiola made 10 changes to the team that lost at Newcastle United.
Guardiola rested several key players, including Erling Haaland, Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Gianluigi Donnarumma, with the changes leaving City without several regular starters.
Alejandro Grimaldo put Leverkusen ahead in the 23rd minute after Christian Kofane laid the ball off following Ibrahim Maza’s cross. Patrik Schick doubled the visitors’ lead in the 54th minute with a header from another Maza cross.
Rayan Cherki shoots for Manchester City against Bayer Leverkusen
Rayan Cherki during Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen
City’s Home Record Ends
The defeat ended Manchester City’s 23-match unbeaten home run in the Champions League league phase. UEFA had recorded City as unbeaten in 23 home group-stage or league-phase matches since their 1–2 defeat to Lyon in September 2018.
The result came four days after City’s 2–1 Premier League defeat at Newcastle, a loss that left them seven points behind league leaders Arsenal at the time.
The match was also Guardiola’s 100th Champions League appearance as Manchester City manager. His team had previously won three of their first four league-phase matches this season before the defeat to Leverkusen.
Guardiola introduced Phil Foden, Nico O’Reilly and Jérémy Doku at half-time, before bringing on Haaland and Rayan Cherki in the second half as City looked for a way back into the game. However, Leverkusen held on for the win.
Haaland had opportunities after coming on, while Rayan Cherki also tested Leverkusen goalkeeper Mark Flekken, but City could not find a goal.
The defeat leaves City with 10 points from five Champions League league-phase matches, while Leverkusen moved to eight points.
The loss followed Guardiola’s apology for his confrontation with a cameraman after the Newcastle defeat. Guardiola said he felt “embarrassed and ashamed” about the incident.
Source: UEFA / PA