Manchester City’s Most Shocking Matches
Despite being in an era of unprecedented success, Man City is often still an underdog in many big-time matches. Conversely, the blowback from losing to inferior competition is now much more severe than it once was.
For better or worse, these five shocking Manchester City matches left the football world stunned.
11 May 2008: Middlesbrough 8-1 Man City
With a new owner, manager, and a slew of new signings, 2007-08 was supposed to be a renaissance for City. To a small degree it was, with the club spending a large chunk of the season in the top five. But the club’s form started to slip in the spring, and the season culminated in a disastrous final day visit to Middlesbrough.
Early on, Richard Dunne was sent off for taking down Stewart Downing in the box. That made-penalty was followed by seven more Boro goals, six of which came in a 30-minute span. The disaster was the final match for several City players and also for manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
23 October 2011: Manchester United 1-6 Man City
City had shown they were capable of being Premier League champs before, but not like this. Going into the Old Trafford locker rooms at halftime, City held a 1-0 lead. If that score were to hold it would no doubt be a huge three points, but by no means a shocking result.
That was until a second half explosion of goals from Balotelli, Aguero, Dzeko, and Silva brutally silenced the home crowd. Finishing 6-1, it was City’s first derby win since 2008 and United’s worst home defeat in 50 years.
13 May 2012: Man City 3-2 QPR
The final matchday of 2011/12 EPL campaign may have been the single most shocking day in the league’s history. It needs no introduction, but City and United were tied on points with the Sky Blues hosting QPR and the Red Devils visiting Sunderland.
Edin Dzeko tied the match against 10-man QPR in the 91st, but it looked like it was too little too late after United’s match finished 1-0. Sir Alex and his men stood patiently at the Stadium of Light for word of the final whistle, but instead received news that somehow, Sergio Aguero had scored in the 94th. Improbably and impossibly, City were the kings of England once again.
11 May 2013: Manchester City 0-1 Wigan
Wigan was the Cinderella of the 2012-13 FA Cup, but the clock was bound to toll midnight on the Latics in the Final against City.
The underdogs (which had odds as long as 19/2 at some online sportsbooks) hung tough, and fortune turned in their favour with an 84th minute sending off of Zabaleta. Instead of lifting their second FA Cup in three years, City shockingly saw it slip out of their fingers when Ben Watson headed in a corner at the death. This left bookmakers’ in shock, especially online betting sites, due to it becoming so easy for the sports punters to bet online or via mobile easily.
1 November 2016: Man City 3-1 Barcelona
Two weeks earlier, Barcelona had blanked City 4-0 in Spain. In the rematch, things began as expected when Messi put Barca out to an early lead. But an Ilkay Gündogan equalizer sent the sides into the break tied, leaving City confident they could at least snare a point from the Catalans.
That they did and then some, as Kevin de Bruyne free kicked the Citizens into the lead shortly after the restart. Gündogan would add later another in the famous upset that even caused Ladbrokes to drop their odds of City winning the European title down to 9/2.
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