{"id":8533,"date":"2025-02-20T14:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T14:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/?p=8533"},"modified":"2025-02-20T14:06:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T14:06:02","slug":"tom-hancock-reflects-on-citys-champions-league-exit-at-the-hands-of-the-unstoppable-kylian-mbappe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/archives\/8533","title":{"rendered":"Tom Hancock reflects on City&rsquo;s Champions League exit at the hands of the unstoppable Kylian Mbappe"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='\"articleImage\"' data-script='\"pl_editorial-lists\"' data-widget='\"video-list\"'>\n<div class='\"article__lead-media\"'>\n\n<h4 class='\"article__summary\"'>Tom Hancock reflects on City&rsquo;s Champions League exit at the hands of the unstoppable Kylian Mbappe\n<picture class='\"' picture><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"article__image' picture__img src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com%5C/photo-resources%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/19%5C/0632b15b-6024-4232-a120-140bb8fc8728%5C/FotoJet-4-.jpg?width=1400&amp;height=800%5C%22" alt='\"Man' city>\n<p><span class='\"article__related-text\"'>Related Articles\n<div class='\"article__related-articles\"'>\n<div class='\"related-article__text\"'>Man City exit Champions League after defeat in Madrid\u00a0<span class='\"visuallyHidden\"'>External Link\n<div class='\"related-article__text\"'>Analysis: What&rsquo;s behind Chelsea&rsquo;s slump in form?\n<div class='\"related-article__text\"'>Who should be your next Assistant Manager in FPL?\n<div><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' wp-image-8534 src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/momentsunfolded.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/Screenshot-2025-02-20-210408-262x300.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"736\"' height='\"843\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-20-210408-262x300.png' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n<div class='\"copy' article__body>\n<p><em>Football writer Tom Hancock analyses Manchester City\u2019s 3-1 defeat at Real Madrid as they suffer their earliest UEFA Champions League exit for 12 years.\n<p>Manchester City\u00a0lost for the 13th time in 2024\/25 as Kylian Mbappe ran riot for Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout phase playoffs.\n</p><p>Trailing 3-2 after their calamitous late collapse in the first leg back in Manchester, City already faced an uphill task at the Bernabeu, and it didn\u2019t take long for their challenge to become that little bit more difficult.\n</p><p>Mbappe\u2019s fourth-minute goal saw\u00a0Pep Guardiola\u2019s Premier League champions go behind inside 10 minutes for the ninth time this season in all competitions.\n</p><div class='\"articleWidget' full-width>\n<figure class='\"embeddable-photo'><picture class='\"' picture><source class='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com\/photo-resources\/2025\/02\/19\/50c6b1e6-23c5-4385-9469-4caca58be13c\/GettyImages-2200678488.jpg?width=600&amp;height=350,' https: media='\"(max-width:'></source><source class='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com\/photo-resources\/2025\/02\/19\/50c6b1e6-23c5-4385-9469-4caca58be13c\/GettyImages-2200678488.jpg?width=900&amp;height=500,' https: media='\"(max-width:'></source><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"article__image' picture__img src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com%5C/photo-resources%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/19%5C/50c6b1e6-23c5-4385-9469-4caca58be13c%5C/GettyImages-2200678488.jpg?width=1400&amp;height=800%5C%22" alt='\"GettyImages-2200678488\"'>\n\n<p>And the relative ease with which the Frenchman scored, lobbing a stranded\u00a0Ederson\u00a0after\u00a0Ruben Dias\u00a0failed to deal with Raul Asencio\u2019s ball over the top, was just as frustratingly familiar for the visitors.\n</p><p>The unstoppable Mbappe toyed with a disorganised defence for each of his next two goals, as City conceded three or more for the third time in their last eight games.\n</p><p>Having dispatched\u00a0Newcastle United\u00a04-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, City barely threatened in the Spanish capital.\n</p><p>With\u00a0Erling Haaland\u00a0on the bench after coming off injured late in that Newcastle game, they took 76 minutes to register a shot on target.\n</p><div class='\"articleWidget' full-width>\n<figure class='\"embeddable-photo'><picture class='\"' picture><source class='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com\/photo-resources\/2025\/02\/19\/588e20ca-ced7-49b6-ae7a-e2800477a622\/GettyImages-2200688899.jpg?width=600&amp;height=350,' https: media='\"(max-width:'></source><source class='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com\/photo-resources\/2025\/02\/19\/588e20ca-ced7-49b6-ae7a-e2800477a622\/GettyImages-2200688899.jpg?width=900&amp;height=500,' https: media='\"(max-width:'></source><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"article__image' picture__img src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com%5C/photo-resources%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/19%5C/588e20ca-ced7-49b6-ae7a-e2800477a622%5C/GettyImages-2200688899.jpg?width=1400&amp;height=800%5C%22" alt='\"GettyImages-2200688899\"'>\n\n<p>Nico Gonzalez\u2019s first goal for the club, a straightforward finish into an empty net after Omar Marmoush\u2019s free-kick cannoned back off the crossbar, at least ensured that City avoided drawing a blank for the first time this side of Christmas, but positives were in short supply for Guardiola\u2019s side.\n</p><p>City have now suffered more defeats than in any previous campaign under Guardiola, who is approaching a decade in charge at the Etihad Stadium.\n</p><p>This is also their earliest Champions League exit since 2012\/13, when they finished bottom of their group under Roberto Mancini \u2013 while Guardiola has failed to lead a team into the last 16 for the first time in his managerial career.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' wp-image-8535 src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/momentsunfolded.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/Screenshot-2025-02-20-210418-269x300.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"735\"' height='\"820\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-20-210418-269x300.png' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n</p><p>Now that claiming a second continental crown is no longer possible, City\u2019s 2025\/26 Champions League qualification hopes could rest on the Premier League receiving a fifth spot for next season\u2019s competition, which ironically their early elimination has not helped.\n</p><p>They head into Sunday\u2019s huge home match against Liverpool fourth in the table but could end the weekend as low as seventh if they lose to the Reds, such is the grippingly tight nature of this season\u2019s race for the top four, or will it be top five?\n</p><p>With the prospect of continental glory gone for another season, City\u2019s final 13 league games are all about doing enough to avoid missing out on Champions League football for the first time since 2010.\n</p><p>Now that the knockout phase playoffs have concluded, the draw for the Champions League round of 16 will take place on Friday 21 February at 11:00 GMT.\n</p><div class='\"articleWidget' full-width>\n<figure class='\"embeddable-photo'><picture class='\"' picture><source class='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com\/photo-resources\/2025\/02\/19\/fa075fd7-2521-426c-bcb0-d4605c0f82b2\/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-23.24.17.png?width=600&amp;height=350,' https: media='\"(max-width:'></source><source class='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com\/photo-resources\/2025\/02\/19\/fa075fd7-2521-426c-bcb0-d4605c0f82b2\/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-23.24.17.png?width=900&amp;height=500,' https: media='\"(max-width:'></source><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"article__image' picture__img src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/resources.premierleague.pulselive.com%5C/photo-resources%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/19%5C/fa075fd7-2521-426c-bcb0-d4605c0f82b2%5C/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-23.24.17.png?width=1400&amp;height=800%5C%22" alt='\"UCL' draw>\n\n<p>Three Premier clubs are involved:\u00a0Liverpool,\u00a0Arsenal\u00a0and\u00a0Aston Villa, who are seeded first, third and eighth respectively based on their finishing positions in the league phase of the competition.\n</p><p>Liverpool will play either PSG or Benfica, Arsenal will face Feyenoord or PSV Eindhoven and Aston Villa will take on either Borussia Dortmund or Club Brugge.\n</p><p>The first legs of the round of 16 ties will be played on Tuesday 4 March and Wednesday 5 March, with the second legs on Tuesday 11 March and Wednesday 12 March.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"</p><p>Tom Hancock reflects on City&rsquo;s Champions League exit at the hands of the unstoppable Kylian Mbappe Related Articles Man City exit Champions League after defeat in Madrid\u00a0External Link Analysis: What&rsquo;s behind Chelsea&rsquo;s slump in form? Who should be your next Assistant Manager in FPL? Football writer Tom Hancock analyses Manchester City\u2019s 3-1 defeat at Real [&hellip;]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8533"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8536,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8533\/revisions\/8536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></picture></figure></div></picture></figure></div></picture></figure></div></em></p></div></div></div></div></span></div></div></span></p></picture></h4></div></div>