It was meant to be a day of celebration but as Storm Bert made its way through England, Tottenham Hotspur blew away Manchester City's hopes and ambitions by beating them 4-0 - their heaviest Premier League defeat in SEVEN years.
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The shock result also ended the champions' 35-match unbeaten run at home in the competition.
Ahead 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 were paraded.
The pre-match mood of optimism was further enhanced by this week's announcement of Pep Guardiola's new contract, ending speculation that he might leave in the summer, something he admitted he had considered.
He said the club’s four-match losing run was a spur for him to stay on and turn around their fortunes. But that job just became bigger, as Spurs stunned the home crowd.
Ange Postecoglou's side went 2-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes, through James Maddison's brilliant brace, before doubling their advantage in the second half with goals from Pedro Porro and finally, in stoppage time, Brennan Johnson.
The result means that Liverpool can extend their lead over City to eight points if they beat 20th-placed Southampton tomorrow.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
14 | +18 | 35 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
15 | +17 | 31 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
15 | +14 | 29 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
15 | +6 | 27 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
15 | +1 | 25 |
| 6 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
15 | 0 | 25 |
| 7 |
Brighton
BHA
|
15 | +3 | 24 |
| 8 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
15 | +3 | 24 |
| 9 |
Brentford
BRE
|
15 | +3 | 23 |
| 10 |
Fulham
FUL
|
15 | +2 | 23 |
| 11 |
Spurs
TOT
|
15 | +12 | 20 |
| 12 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
15 | -2 | 20 |
| 13 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
15 | +1 | 19 |
| 14 |
West Ham
WHU
|
15 | -8 | 18 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
14 | -7 | 14 |
| 16 |
Leicester
LEI
|
15 | -9 | 14 |
| 17 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
15 | -6 | 13 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
15 | -13 | 9 |
| 19 |
Wolves
WOL
|
15 | -15 | 9 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
15 | -20 | 5 |
And it could then get even worse for Guardiola's men - if they lose their next Premier League match, at Anfield on 1 December, the champions could be 11 points behind their opponents.
Man City's next five fixtures
What Guardiola said
"In this moment we are fragile defensively. We started really well as normal but we could not score and then after that we conceded. After that, we conceded some more which is difficult for our emotions right now.
"In eight years we have never lived this kind of situation. Now we have to live it and break it by winning the next games, especially the next one. Now we see things in one way, maybe in a few weeks we will see it differently.
"Of course [the players are struggling]. We are happy when we win and concerned when we don't win. It's normal. There would be a problem if they were not worried or I am not worried.
"We are not used to this situation but life is like this. Sometimes it happens and we have to accept it. It is what it is now and we will stand up and do it.
"The fire is when you win a lot of games, which is better than when you are losing, but we accept this. We have to move forward and break it and try.
"Yeah, in terms of Liverpool winning and winning, it’s true [that defeat at Anfield would end Man City's title hopes]. We’re not thinking about winning or losing [the title]. We are not in the situation to think about what is going to happen at the end of the season."
Stats behind Saturday's shock scoreline
Man City are the first reigning English top-flight champions to lose five games in a row in all competitions since Chelsea in March 1956.
City have lost five consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since April 2006 under Stuart Pearce, and three in a row in the Premier League for the first time since March 2016 when Manuel Pellegrini was their manager.
This was City’s heaviest home defeat in any competition since February 2003 (1-5 v Arsenal at Maine Road).
City were three games away from achieving the third-longest unbeaten home run in Premier League history, behind only Chelsea's 86 matches between March 2004 and October 2008, and Liverpool's 68 from May 2017 to January 2021.
It was City's first defeat at the Etihad Stadium since they lost to Brentford in the Premier League in November 2022, ending their longest ever unbeaten run at home in all competitions (52 games).
City had 23 shots in this game to no avail, their most in a Premier League game they failed to score in since a 2-0 loss to Man Utd in March 2021 (also 23 shots).
This was just the third time a team has won away against the reigning Premier League champions by 4+ goals, with Spurs responsible for two of those (also Man Utd 1-6 Man City in 2011, Leicester City 1-6 Spurs in 2017).
Spurs are Guardiola's nemesis. Including seven in the Premier League, they have inflicted nine defeats on Pep in all competitions, more than any other opponent. Liverpool, who City face next, have beaten him eight times so far.
Guardiola lost a home game by four goals for just the second time in his managerial career - at Bayern Munich, he lost 0-4 against Real Madrid in April 2014.
It is Guardiola's joint-biggest loss as a manager, his fourth defeat by four goals.
Guardiola has conceded 2+ goals in five straight games for the first time as a manager; 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 in the 52nd minute, it was the first time City had been 3-0 down at home in a Premier League game since February 2016 v Leicester, under Pellegrini.
Maddison's second goal made it the earliest City have trailed 2-0 in a Premier League home game since December 2010 (19th minute v Everton).