Manchester Derby

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

On 17 March, City were beaten 5–1 on aggregate by Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League to end their participation in this season's competition. On 22 March, they won 2–0 against Arsenal to win the EFL Cup for the first time in five seasons. Pep Guardiola also became the first manager to win the competition on five occasions. On 16 May, City won 1–0 against Chelsea, to win their eighth FA Cup title in a record-breaking fourth consecutive final appearance. On 19 May, a 1–1 draw away to Bournemouth in their penultimate game of the season meant City ended their title race as league runners-up to Arsenal. On 22 May, the club announced that Pep Guardiola would be stepping down as manager at the end of the season after ten years. At the time, he was the club's most successful manager in their history.

In Their Own Story

The season began with a 4–0 away victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 16 August 2025, with Erling Haaland netting a brace. City then suffered consecutive league defeats to Tottenham Hotspur (2–0) and Brighton & Hove Albion (2–1), the latter featuring a penalty from former Blue James Milner. On transfer deadline day, 1 September 2025, City signed goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain for £26 million. After the September international break, City recorded consecutive victories, including a 3–0 win over Manchester United on 14 September and a 2–0 win over Napoli in the Champions League on 18 September, where Haaland scored his 50th goal in the competition in his 49th appearance. The autumn period saw Haaland score in 12 consecutive appearances for club and country, and by the end of October City sat fifth in the Premier League table. November began with a 3–1 win against Bournemouth, followed by a 3–0 victory over Liverpool in what was Pep Guardiola's 1000th game in football management. After the November international break, City lost 1–2 away to Newcastle United and 0–2 at home to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, before responding with a 3–2 victory over Leeds United.

Reader's Guide

The 2025–26 season marked several firsts for Manchester City: it was the first season since 2014–15 without Kevin De Bruyne, the first since 2016–17 without Kyle Walker and Ederson, and the first since 2020–21 that City did not enter as reigning Premier League champions. Key departures included Jack Grealish on loan to Everton, İlkay Gündoğan to Galatasaray, and Manuel Akanji on loan to Inter Milan. New signings included left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers, midfielders Tijjani Reijnders from Milan and Rayan Cherki from Lyon, back-up goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea, and goalkeeper James Trafford from Burnley. The club's kit supplier was Puma, with sponsors Etihad Airways (front) and OKX (sleeves). City's pre-season included a friendly against sister club Palermo for the inaugural Anglo-Palermitan Trophy on 9 August, resulting in a 3–0 victory, and a behind-closed-doors friendly against Preston North End on 2 August, ending in a 1–0 win.

Did You Know?

• Erling Haaland scored his 88th goal in 100 league appearances on 31 August 2025 against Brighton & Hove Albion.
• Pep Guardiola became the first manager to win the EFL Cup on five occasions after City's 2–0 win over Arsenal on 22 March.
• City won their eighth FA Cup title in a record-breaking fourth consecutive final appearance on 16 May 2025.
• On 18 September 2025, Erling Haaland scored his 50th Champions League goal in his 49th appearance, becoming the fastest player to reach the milestone.
• Pep Guardiola's 1000th game in football management was a 3–0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in November 2025.