Manchester City were 2-0 up with less than 10 minutes of regular time remaining, but the four-time defending champions leave west London with just a point after Brentford roared back to secure a 2-2 draw on Tuesday.
WATCH – Brentford v Manchester City full match replay
It was a hugely frustrating opening hour for Man City, until Phil Foden cropped up and bagged a brace in the 67th and 78th minutes. Kevin De Bruyne curled the millimeter-perfect cross into the penalty area to break the deadlock for the first, and Foden cleaned up Savinho’s saved effort to provide (what they thought would be enough) insurance.
But Brentford hit back through Yoane Wissa a few minutes later and Christian Norgaard headed home Keane Lewis-Potter’s cross in stoppage time to deal Pep Guardiola’s side a deflating blow. Manchester City (35 points) remain 6th in the PL table, still two points behind Chelsea in 4th.
Away form a real problem for Man City (among other things)
City have won just 1 of their last 7 PL away games (1W-2D-4L), and Tuesday’s game was only the third time they held a lead away from home since November began. Of course, that won’t feel like progress after giving up two goals after the 80th minute, and in truth they were quite fortunate to have not conceded before then. Pep Guardiola pointed to the absences of Rodri, John Stones and Ruben Dias as one reason his side capitulated late on, as both Brentford goals were scored from crosses that no one in blue could get a head to. Nathan Ake whiffed on the first goal and Manuel Akanji was simply beaten to the ball for the second. It was nothing new from City this season, but it still feels like a shock to the system every time it happens.
Player ratings - Brentford vs Manchester City
What’s next?
- Brentford vs Liverpool — Sunday, 9 am ET
- Ipswich Town vs Manchester City — Sunday, 11:30 am ET
Brentford vs Man City live updates - by Andy Edwards
Brentford vs Manchester City final score: 2-2
Goalscorers: Phil Foden (66', 78'), Yoane Wissa (82'), Christian Norgaard (90'+2)
GOAL! Brentford 2-2 Man City: Norgaard heads home the stoppage-time equalizer (90'+2)
GOAL! Brentford 1-2 Man City: Wissa finishes from close range (82')
GOAL! Brentford 0-2 Man City: Foden cleans up Savinho’s rebound (78')
GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Man City: De Bruyne finds Foden with brilliant cross (66')
Seconds after Brentford’s goal is wiped away, City lead. Bit of a copy-paste job from De Bruyne, who we’ve only seen hit that very cross 5,000 times over the years.
OFFSIDE! Mikkel Damsgaard goal ruled out for offside (65')
Damsgaard was miles offside a couple passes prior during the build-up, but the assistant referee felt the need to let play continue for some reason.
POST! Savinho carries the ball 50 yards but comes up empty (50')
Vitaly Janelt had no hope of catching up to the Brazilian in the open field, but he managed to push him just wide enough that the finish had to be millimeter-perfect, and it wasn’t quite. Probably City’s best chance of the game thus far.
Kyle Walker left out of Man City squad following transfer request
After more than 300 appearances across 7.5 seasons, it would appear Kyle Walker is headed for the exit door at Manchester City. The 34-year-old told Pep Guardiola that he wants to leave the club in recent days and was left back in Manchester as the rest of the squad traveled down to London for Tuesday’s game.
Brentford starting lineup
Flekken - Roerslev, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter - Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen, Damsgaard - Mbeumo, Wissa
Manchester City starting lineup
Ortega - Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol - Kovacic, Nunes, Bernardo, De Bruyne - Savinho, Foden, Haaland
How to watch Brentford vs Man City live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 2:30pm ET Tuesday
Venue: Gtech Community Stadium — West London
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
City beat Brentford 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium when an Erling Haaland brace answered Yoane Wissa’s first-minute goal on Sept. 14 in Manchester. That was the game before Rodri suffered an ACL injury, and City hasn’t quite been the same since their (soon-to-be) Ballon d’Or winner exited the frame. But they’ve beaten Leicester City and West Ham to end 2024 and start 2025, and Pep Guardiola’s men will expect to build on that mini streak when they hit the Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday. City can move into the top four with a win and a Chelsea draw or loss vs Bournemouth.
Brentford are having an atypically inconsistent season under Thomas Frank, living midtable and tempting the bottom-half more than the top. Goals have not been an issue, and the Bees have been much better at home than away. Can they scoop a memorable result on Tuesday?
Brentford team news, focus
OUT: Kristoffer Ajer (ankle), Ethan Pinnock (hamstring), Igor Thiago (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Josh Dasilva (knee), Gustavo Nunes (back), Ryan Trevitt (Achilles)
Manchester City team news, focus
OUT: Rodri (torn ACL - MORE), John Stones (foot), Ruben Dias (muscular), Oscar Bobb (lower leg)
Brentford vs Manchester City prediction
City have had a rare period of time to train and reset, and their depth pieces clobbered Salford City in the FA Cup at the weekend. Meanwhile, Brentford was upset out of the tournament. This could be close, but it feels more likely that Man City are prepared to keep their winning ways in tact than to fall short to a Bees team which has been anything but consistent. Brentford 0-3 Man City.
