On either side of an impressive FA Cup win at Newcastle last weekend, Manchester City drew 2-2 at home to Nottingham Forest, and lost in humiliating fashion at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid.
Going away to a relegation-threatened West Ham United side, to whom they hadn’t lost in over a decade, City simply had to win.
This was especially the case after Arsenal left it late to beat Everton 2-0 earlier on Saturday.
But after **Bernardo Silva**’s first half strike was cancelled out by a Konstantinos Mavropanos header, the Blues have dropped more points.
Here are four things we learnt on an uninspiring night for **Pep Guardiola**’s side.
A lot of the talk around the 2025/26 Premier League title race has been centred around Arsenal’s tendency to capitulate late in the season, and City’s timely winning streaks when the stakes increase.
But while there’s eight matches remaining (seven for Arsenal), any talk of a title race feels a little desperate (or pessimistic, if you’re of an Arsenal persuasion).
The gap is now nine points, although City do have a game in hand against Crystal Palace. And that feels a little out of the Blues’ reach.
On Sunday 19 April the sides face off at the Etihad Stadium for what could be a decisive match. Meanwhile, next week’s Carabao Cup final could also be telling and could massively influence momentum and confidence.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side have dropped points for the second game running (and for the seventh of 12 matches in 2026). This game would’ve essentially been a foregone conclusion for City teams of years gone by.
This is a different team now. Is it one that wins every game from here on out, with Arsenal also having to drop points multiple times? It feels unlikely.
Erling Haaland’s rut continues
No secret has been made of **Erling Haaland**’s struggles in 2026. The Norwegian has started 15 times in all competitions this calendar year, finding the net on just four occasions, two of which were from the penalty spot.
After a stuttering start to the year, a three game spell against Liverpool, Fulham, and Newcastle, where he scored and assisted twice, promised to be the start of an upturn in fortunes for the 25-year-old.
But the league’s top goalscorer seems to have taken a few steps back once more.
Haaland cut a figure totally void of confidence at West Ham, something that would’ve seemed unthinkable throughout the last four years.
Having scored six times in his three previous visits to the London Stadium, most fans would’ve put their house on him to score again. If City are to have any hopes of the title, they need their number nine to be firing again.
Rodri: back to his old self?
One positive that Pep Guardiola can take away from this game was another masterful Rodri display.
Throughout the campaign there’s been plenty of discourse about whether the defensive midfielder could return from his ACL injury to the levels of performance which saw him win the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
Since making his full comeback at the start of the new year, there has been something of a mixed bag of displays from the 29-year-old, with a red card at Bodø/Glimt a particular low point.
But for the past month or so, Rodri has been a colossus at the heart of the City midfield, dictating the tempo and running the show as one of the team’s remaining leaders.
Even going forward, his through ball to Matheus Nunes in the second half was something Kevin de Bruyne would be proud of.
Since the start of February, City have played 11 games in all competitions. Summer signing Rayan Cherki has started just four of those.
The draw at West Ham was the third successive match that the Frenchman was named on the bench.
For the first hour of the match, the Blues were bereft of ideas creatively. As soon as their 22-year-old playmaker was introduced, the game changed.
His first action immediately off the bench was to send Haaland through on goal - a telling sign of how influential Cherki’s quick, direct thinking can be.
Only Bruno Fernandes (14) has registered more assists in the Premier League this term than the former Lyon man (8), who has enjoyed a terrific debut campaign in Manchester.
With nine goals and 10 assists in all competitions already, it’s perplexing why Guardiola continues to leave him out. City are quite simply a far better side with him in it.