Man City Week in Review, Monday 9th November: Haaland's Late Winner in Leipzig Turns to Forest Nightmare as Alarm Bells Ring
What a difference a week makes. Manchester City began with a dramatic Champions League win in Germany but ended it slumping to a third straight Premier League defeat, leaving fans and pundits increasingly worried about Enzo Maresca's side. (Sky Sports) (Manchester Evening News)
In midweek, City travelled to face former defender Martin Demichelis's RB Leipzig in the Champions League, with Erling Haaland again the match-winner. (Manchester Evening News) (Sports Mole) City were pegged back twice before Haaland struck late, with Elliot Anderson teeing up the winner, to seal a 3-2 victory that Haaland described as a thriller. (Sky Sports) (The Guardian) (BBC Sport) Haaland praised Anderson's contribution afterwards, calling it "amazing", while also telling his team-mates they need to "step up" and be more ruthless in front of goal. (ManCity.com) (ESPN) (Manchester Evening News) Maresca said he was delighted to beat what he called an aggressive and dangerous Leipzig side, while also stressing City "can't just rely on Erling" and need others to step up in attack. (ManCity.com) (Manchester Evening News)
That high didn't last. City then suffered a shock 3-1 defeat away to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, their third successive league loss following earlier defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton. (ESPN) (Manchester Evening News) (GiveMeSport) The performance was widely criticised, with Manchester Evening News calling it City's worst of the season and pointing to a string of costly errors. (Manchester Evening News) Forest boss Oliver Glasner said his players and fans deserved the win, while BBC Sport noted Maresca left the City Ground to chants of "can we play you every week?" as his start as City boss turns from dream to nightmare. (BBC Sport) Maresca himself admitted he was "concerned" and called for "balance" from his players after the result, which leaves City six points adrift in the title race heading into the international break. (ESPN) (Manchester Evening News) Winger Jérémy Doku said City "made things difficult" for themselves at Forest and reflected on a frustrating afternoon. (ManCity.com)
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma remains under scrutiny after another error-strewn outing, though Maresca has continued to back him publicly, doubling down on his support despite the "mistake" against Leipzig. (Manchester Evening News) (Sports Mole) Comparisons with Arsenal's David Raya have not helped the Italian's cause in the eyes of some observers. (Mirror) Elsewhere, Rayan Ait-Nouri was left out of the travelling squad for the Forest game and has been linked with a shock move to rivals Manchester United, with reports suggesting an exit now feels inevitable either in January or next summer. (Manchester Evening News) (BBC Sport)
Off the pitch, City's long-running Premier League financial charges case continues to rumble on. Reports claim a "smoking gun" has emerged relating to a secret meeting that predates the charges by more than five years, while other reports have discussed a possible heavy points deduction as the appeal outcome is awaited. (Manchester Evening News) (Mirror) (Football365) There have also been claims that other Premier League clubs are pushing for a second investigation into City. (Mirror)
On the women's side, there was much better news as Khadija Shaw scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over West Ham to send Manchester City top of the Women's Super League. (ESPN) (BBC Sport) Shaw said the win was "just what we needed", while the team now turn attention to a Women's Champions League clash away to Inter Milan Women. (ManCity.com) (Sports Mole) There was a setback on the injury front for the women's squad, with Jeglertz giving an update on Greenwood and Moorhouse. (ManCity.com)
In other news, former City goalkeeper James Trafford has spoken about how "horrendous" he found his lack of game time at the club last season, saying it was a factor in his summer move to Leeds United. (talkSPORT) (BBC Sport) Phil Foden has discussed the difficult recent period he has been through and how changes at the club have helped him start smiling again. (Manchester Evening News) Manchester City also confirmed the opening date for their new museum at the Etihad Campus, with tickets now on sale, and unveiled their biggest ever club store at the stadium. (Manchester Evening News)
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
