The England star's double looked to have put the champions on their way to a third straight Premier League win before they reverted to bad habits
Manchester City got what they deserved from a hugely entertaining 2-2 draw with Brentford as, after a brief respite of victories, the Premier League champions are back to square one: wondering how they threw away a lead to drop crucial points.
As usual, Brentford gave Pep Guardiola's side plenty to think about and had chances to take the lead before Phil Foden, who bagged a hat-trick in this fixture last season, put City in front in the second half with the help of a Kevin De Bruyne cross. Foden just beat De Bruyne to the loose ball after a Savinho shot was saved to double City's lead in the 78th minute and that should have signalled a fourth consecutive win for the visitors.
But instead they fell back to their worst habits and failed to kill the game off, missing more chances and not doing enough to prevent Brentford's whirlwind attacks. Yoane Wissa gave Thomas Frank's side hope in the 82nd minute before Christian Norgaard equalised two minutes into stoppage-time. Both sides went for the win at the death and it took a double block from Nathan Ake to prevent Bryan Mbeumo stealing it for the hosts.
GOAL rates Man City's players from the Gtech Community Stadium…
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Stefan Ortega (5/10):
Could have shown more strength as he tried to stop the equaliser.
Manuel Akanji (5/10):
Beaten in the air by Norgaard and not nearly as authorative as his team-mates.
Nathan Ake (8/10):
Made two outstanding clearances, blocking Mbuemo's last-gasp chance to win it.
Josko Gvardiol (7/10):
Produced a miraculous recovery run and slide tackle to thwart Wissa.
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Matheus Nunes (5/10):
Too indecisive in attack, infuriating Guardiola for not shooting in one instance.
Mateo Kovacic (6/10):
Good in possession under pressure and was off the pitch when the collapse took place.
Bernardo Silva (6/10):
A busy performance without making the difference in attack.
Kevin De Bruyne (8/10):
A relentless presence all over the pitch and he thrived in the chaotic nature of the game, setting up the breakthrough goal.
AFPAttack
Phil Foden (7/10):
Produced two clinical finishes and dovetailed well with his fellow forwards, reminding everyone that last season was no fluke.
Erling Haaland (5/10):
Held the ball up well but will be disappointed not to have scored with any of the four big chances that fell his way.
Savinho (8/10):
An electric threat again down the left. Hit the post and flashed a shot wide in a lively second-half display before playing his part in the opener and then sparking the second
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Ilkay Gundgoan (5/10):
Brought on to see the game out but his lack of pace played into Brentford's hands.
James McAtee (5/10):
Fizzed a shot over and wide as he looked to build on his hat-trick against Salford on the weekend.
Pep Guardiola (5/10):
It was a typically chaotic game with Brentford, but the coach could have made more changes to try and shut the game out down late on.
