Taking over in July 2016, Pep Guardiola has turned Manchester City into a lean, mean, winning machine. Under his tutelage, the Cityzens have played jaw-dropping soccer, beating almost every mega team they have faced. In the last eight years, Man City have won six Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, and three FA Community Shields. Guardiola led them to the Treble in 2022-23, making them only the second English team — behind Manchester United in 1998-99 — to capture the three biggest trophies in one season.
Guardiola has enjoyed an exceptional run at Manchester City, cementing his legacy as one of the finest managers to oversee a Premier League club. However, even his dominant spell has had a few hiccups. Continue reading to check out the worst results Manchester City has endured under the three-time World’s Best Coach winner.
#5 Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City
Liverpool faced Premier League rivals Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League season. The Reds had already beaten City 4-3 at Anfield in January 2018, so they were confident in their ability to get the job done. But it went even better than what they had hoped for, with Liverpool taking complete control of the tie inside the first 31 minutes.
Just 12 minutes in, Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool into the lead at Anfield. Eight minutes later, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made it 2-0. Then, just past the half-hour mark, Sadio Mane made it 3-0. Liverpool added to their advantage in the second leg, beating City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium and progressing to the semis with a 5-1 aggregate scoreline.
#4 Sporting CP 4-1 Manchester City (November 5, 2024)
Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim faced Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in his final home game before taking up the Manchester United job. The 39-year-old wanted to leave on the highest possible note, and he did so by taking the Primeira Liga outfit to a thumping 4-1 win over the Premier League holders on Matchday 4 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season.
Sporting CP conceded just four minutes into the game, with Phil Foden firing the visitors into the lead. Amorim and Co., however, did not falter. Star striker Viktor Gyokeres equalized in the 38th minute before Maximiliano Araujo propelled Sporting into the lead with a 46th-minute strike. Gyokeres converted two penalties in the second half (49′, 80′) to complete the routing.
#3 Manchester City 2-5 Leicester City (September 27, 2020)
On September 27, 2020, Manchester City welcomed Leicester City to the Etihad Stadium for their Matchday 10 meeting. Fans expected a routine victory for the hosts, but the Foxes refused to follow the script. Despite Riyad Mahrez firing City into the lead just four minutes in, Leicester City did not lose their cool. They kept piling men forward and ultimately got the reward when Jamie Vardy won a penalty in the 36th minute. The Englishman calmly converted the spot kick to make it 1-1 at the Etihad Stadium. He added two more in the 53rd and 58th minutes to complete his hat-trick.
James Maddison (77′) made 4-1 for Leicester before Nathan Ake reduced the deficit in the 84th minute. However, that did not trigger a turnaround, with Youri Tielemans converting another penalty to secure a 5-2 victory for the visitors. The heavy defeat, however, did not matter much in the grand scheme of things, as Manchester City comfortably won the title with 86 points — 14 points clear of second-placed Manchester United.
#2 Everton 4-0 Manchester City (January 15, 2017)
Of all teams, Everton holds the record for claiming the biggest win over the mighty Manchester City. The Toffees claimed their mega win in the Premier League on January 15, 2017, inflicting a 4-0 defeat upon the Cityzens at Goodison Park. Romelu Lukaku scored the first goal in the 34th minute to give Everton a slender lead at half-time. Kevin Mirallas doubled their money in the 47th minute before Tom Davies (79′) and Ademola Lookman (90+4′) completed the routing.
Manchester City finished third in the Premier League standings with 78 points that season. Everton, meanwhile, were seventh with 61.
#1 Barcelona 4-0 Manchester City (October 19, 2016)
Pep Guardiola suffered the heaviest defeat of his Manchester City career against his former club Barcelona. The Blaugrana, led by Lionel Messi, ran circles around the Cityzens on Matchday 3 of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League season, coming away with a thumping 4-0 victory. Magnificent Messi scored a hat-trick (17′, 61′, 69′) and Neymar put the cherry on top by scoring the fourth in the 89th minute at Camp Nou.
Manchester City, however, had their sweet revenge on the next Matchday at the Etihad Stadium, beating Barcelona 3-1. Ilkay Gundogan scored a brace and Kevin de Bruyne found the netting to overturn a one-goal deficit (Messi).
