When does a blip become a slump? Pre-game, Pep Guardiola was asked this and pointed to Manchester City’s supreme run of success. Now, their past three matches have been lost for the first time since April 2018 under him so Saturday’s trip to Brighton is certainly about arresting the slide.
Two years ago, Rúben Amorim’s Sporting were cuffed aside 5-0 in a grand City show of power-Football. This last home match of Manchester United’s incoming new manager, ended in him becoming to sections of the Red Devils faithful, at least, the “new Ferguson”, as he prophesied would occur should their cross-town rival be downed.
The 39-year-old did so by schooling Sporting on the quick break, then seeing this executed expertly as City were made chumps of.
City remain on seven points, Amorim leaves on 10 and driving Sporting’s Champions League destiny. All this with the 3-4-3 shape he brings to United when starting work on 11 November.
“Sweet Caroline” rung out, the José Alvalade was below a sell-out and Amorim’s home swansong had a terrible start.
The players had padded about swapping passes before Phil Foden pilfered possession from Hidemasa Morita. Sporting backed off so City’s playmaker ranged into the area and fired past Franco Israel.
After City’s reverses to Tottenham and Bournemouth this was welcome succour. But fragility was evident in a Gyökeres raid that took him clear. As Ederson advanced the Swede hoped to chip the goalkeeper, fluffed this, and the ball was collected.
Guardiola has talked about his walking wounded and how this is all part of this term’s challenge. With Rúben Dias and John Stones on the injury list, the manager handed Jahmai Simpson-Pusey a full debut, 24 hours after the defender turned 19, and Gyökeres’s next act was to go at him along a left channel, the boy from Manchester robust enough to see the challenge off.
Before this, City threatened via two Foden corners and two Erling Haaland efforts. The first drew a flying Israel save, the second blazed off the Norwegian’s weaker right foot and wide.
City had Portugal’s champions in a familiar grip: hogging the ball and forcing them to live off scraps. When Israel dawdled playing out from the back Haaland nearly mugged him. The next time Sporting tried the ploy Savinho nicked the ball and City had them by the jugular in a sequence that featured another Foden corner that Josko Gvardiol went close.
As impressive was a back-to-front move that had Mateo Kovacic scheming along halfway and Rico Lewis slipping inside from right-back to set Savinho galloping through. Result: a cross meant for Haaland and one more Foden corner.
His next was floated on to Haaland’s head and though he beat the airborne Israel the ball was cleared off the line. City were a relentless force cowing their host with percussive pass play. Foden popped up down the left and swept in a delivery that Haaland swiped at on the volley and Israel repelled.
The 72.9% ball-retention rate was the contest in microcosm. City were in shooting practise mode Bernardo Silva shimmied through and unloaded to beat Israel but the attempt missed.
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Gyökeres then broke – from Geovany Quenda’s pass – and on reaching the area held off Simpson‑Pusey and fashioned a delightful sand-wedge over Ederson for 1-1.
A carbon copy nearly arrived in Sporting’s next break beyond City’s highline but Francisco Trincão’s composure failed and the forward blasted wide.
City melted as, from virtually the second-half kick-off, Maximiliano Araújo got in behind on Pedro Gonçalves’s ball and beat Ederson. The visitors, stunned, were soon shocked. Gvardiol was the culprit, foolishly upending Trincao and the referee, Daniel Siebert, awarded a penalty. Gyökeres smashed this past Ederson and the stadium was a racket of noise and joy.
For the first time in a long time City were being asked questions they struggled to find answers for. Even when Lewis drew a free-kick on the edge of Sporting’s area Foden’s offering did not beat the wall. Guardiola, in the technical area, was cast as impotent, while Amorim, on the other side, as the coach of cunning and control.
City never write themselves off but the conveyor belt of chances had stopped until Silva claimed a penalty when challenged by Ousmane Diomande – via Siebert being ordered by the VAR to the sideline screen. To his anguish, and in the face of copious home whistles, Haaland crashed the spot kick on to the bar.
From here, a long way back for those in blue and a famous final salvo on Sporting turf the prize for Amorim. It was sealed when Nunes felled Geny Catamo, Sporting’s second spot kick was given, and Gyökeres converted.
It proved to be City’s biggest defeat since a 5-2 reverse to Leicester in 2020 and for Amorim the finest of sendoffs.
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