Manchester City 0-2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Coral’s post-match review of Manchester City 0-2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, 25 November 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Bayer Leverkusen came away with a solid 0-2 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League, taking control early on. The visitors opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Alejandro Grimaldo finished off an assist from C. M. Kofane, giving them a deserved lead after a bright start. City pushed back with plenty of possession but couldn’t break through, and Leverkusen doubled their advantage in the 54th minute through Patrik Schick, assisted by I. Maza, sealing the points.

The second half saw City make a flurry of substitutions to try and turn things around, but Leverkusen’s defence held firm despite picking up a couple of yellow cards. With Leverkusen 'keeper Flekken in fine form, it felt like a game where City’s dominance in corners and chances amounted to little. Overall, it was a frustrating night for the home side, while Leverkusen looked efficient on the counter.

Manchester City edged possession with 55% compared to Leverkusen’s 45%, suggesting they controlled the ball more but couldn’t make it count in the final third. They racked up nine corners to Leverkusen’s three, pointing to sustained pressure on the visitors’ goal, yet that didn’t lead to any breakthroughs, highlighting some wastefulness in attack. On the discipline side, City stayed clean with no yellow cards, while Leverkusen picked up two, as they tried to protect their lead late on.

Substitutions told a story of desperation from City, who used all five available slots, including a triple change at half-time, likely to inject fresh energy after going behind. Leverkusen, by contrast, only made one sub in the 82nd minute, showing confidence in their setup and perhaps conserving legs for the closing stages. These numbers paint a picture of a team dominating stats but losing where it mattered most – on the scoreboard.

The game’s first big turning point came in the 23rd minute when Alejandro Grimaldo scored for Leverkusen, assisted by C. M. Kofane, putting the visitors ahead and shifting momentum their way early doors. City responded with half-time substitutions, bringing on P. Foden, J. Doku, and N. O’Reilly for R. Lewis, O. Bobb, and R. Ait Nouri respectively, in a bid to spark their attack. But Leverkusen extended their lead in the 54th minute as Patrik Schick netted, assisted by I. Maza, making it 0-2 and putting the result beyond much doubt.

A yellow card for Grimaldo in the 60th minute added some tension, followed by another for C. M. Kofane in the 78th. City made further changes in the 65th minute, subbing on E. Haaland and R. Cherki for O. Marmoush and A. Khusanov, but it wasn’t enough to claw back. Leverkusen’s late sub of N. Tella for Kofane in the 82nd minute helped them see out the win comfortably.

Manchester City lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with a back four providing stability and the midfield trio tasked with controlling the game, while the front three aimed to stretch Leverkusen’s defence. In practice, this setup allowed them to hold 55% possession and generate nine corners, but they struggled to convert that into goals, perhaps due to a lack of cutting edge up top. The half-time triple substitution injected pace with players like Doku and Foden, shifting to a more attacking approach, and later changes brought on Haaland for added threat, though it couldn’t change the outcome.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen set up in a 5-3-2, using the wing-backs to provide width and the three centre-backs to soak up pressure, which worked well against City’s possession game. This structure let them sit deep when needed, counter effectively for their two goals, and limit City to no scores despite the home side’s corners. They only made one late substitution, swapping Kofane for Tella in the 82nd minute, which maintained their defensive solidity and helped manage the game to the end without major tweaks.

Alejandro Grimaldo earned Man of the Match honours for Bayer Leverkusen, scoring one goal and delivering a key pass over his 90 minutes on the pitch. His overall contribution was pivotal in securing the 0-2 win, blending defensive duties with that crucial opener.

Recent Champions League matches:

• Loss: 0-2 vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (H)
• Win: 4-1 vs Borussia Dortmund (H)
• Win: 2-0 vs Villarreal (A)
• Draw: 2-2 vs Monaco (A)
• Win: 2-0 vs Napoli (H)

Recent Champions League matches:

• Win: 2-0 vs Manchester City (A)
• Win: 1-0 vs Benfica (A)
• Loss: 2-7 vs Paris Saint Germain (H)
• Draw: 1-1 vs PSV (H)
• Draw: 2-2 vs FC København (A)

Manchester City will look to bounce back from this 0-2 Champions League defeat when they face Leeds United on 29 November at 15:00. Sitting sixth with 10 points in the Champion's League, a win could boost their confidence after failing to score here, especially with their possession dominance not paying off – they’ll need to sharpen up in front of goal to avoid another frustrating result.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen head into their next match against Borussia Dortmund on 29 November at 17:30 buoyed by this efficient 0-2 win in the Champions League. Their solid defensive display and clinical finishing could give them momentum, though those two yellow cards might prompt a bit more caution to keep discipline in check.

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