Juventus 2 Man City 0: EPL flop scores to leave City facing elimination in 22nd

MANCHESTER CITY really has a mountain to climb to get back to where they once were.

This game – played in the shadow of the Alps – showed how far they have fallen since the end of October.

Dusan Vlahovic's header – which somehow squeezed past Ederson – and Weston McKennie's volley mean it is now one win in ten for Pep Guardiola's men

Seven of those were defeats and now the boss must rally his weary troops for Sunday's Manchester derby.

In recent years they have taken the Champions League groups lightly and slipped through them effortlessly.

But when the competition returns in a month's time, a finish in the top 24 is by no means guaranteed.

Their next match is against old foes Paris Saint-Germain, who also need the points – followed by a home match against Club Brugge.

From being the kings of Europe 18 months ago to battling to reach the last 16 play-offs has been a sobering fall from grace.

And right now, City look completely devoid of confidence, scoring alarmingly at the back while struggling to convert their chances at the other end.

It's been a nightmare six weeks for Pep, who won't forget that he signed a new two-year contract in the middle of all the chaos.

A trip to Turin may seem intimidating, but Juve have lost four of their last six European games at the Allianz Stadium.

Thiago Motta's men started a few places behind City in the table and were holding on with their fingertips for a place in the play-offs.

Guardiola recalled his first-choice keeper Ederson, who paid the price for his erratic performance in the final Champions League match against Feyenoord.

That result – when they threw away a three-goal lead in 15 astonishing minutes – had left their place in this tournament in some doubt after January.

Pep had to patch up his team again by playing Rico Lewis at left-back after his eventful day at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

City saw plenty of possession, which Guardiola had asked of them before the match, suggesting they needed to get back to basics.

But they struggled to create much and on the other hand they were relieved to see Kenan Yildiz' shot go just wide.

The Turkish winger also showed City skipper Kyle Walker a clean pair of heels on more than one occasion.

Three Lions defender Walker can no longer rely on his pace like he used to and this time he had Ruben Dias to thank for making a key block.

Meanwhile, City failed to produce a significant effort in the first half hour – the first time this has happened in a European match in four years.

Erling Haaland saw an effort blocked by Teun Koopmeiners before it ended up in the grateful arms of Michele di Gregorio.

The pair came face to face again moments later when the Norwegian met a trademark pass from Kevin De Bruyne.

He tried to lift the ball over the home keeper, who got enough to keep it out and the best chance of the half was gone.

The City boss is said to have been happy with the amount of possession his team had, but was slightly concerned at how little they had created and how banal they looked at times.

Meanwhile, having scored seven goals in the previous two games in this competition, they had at least kept the home side at bay.

Guardiola knew that if they did not win here, their hopes of finishing in the top eight and automatically qualifying for the last 16 would be all but ruled out.

A two-legged play-off in February is the last thing a team already struggling with injuries needs.

Unsurprisingly, City's best moments came from De Bruyne and his low cross shortly after the restart found Ilkay Gundogan – but the German's tame effort was blocked.

And the two misses proved costly as Juventus took the lead when Federico Gatti's acrobatic effort was pushed away by Ederson.

Josko Gvardiol rushed to clear his lines and Yildiz turned the ball back over.

Vlahovic rose highest and as Ederson scooped the ball past the post, the goalkeeper technology said he had already crossed the line.

It was a matter of millimeters, but it was a poor goal and another mistake by Gvardiol, who is currently struggling.

City knew they had to act and they did, but Juventus threw everything in their way to protect their lead.

Bernardo Silva saw a good chance blocked as De Bruyne's long-range effort whizzed just past the post.

Di Grigorio dived full-force to push Gundgan's effort around the post from the edge of the penalty area.

But as they pushed for an equalizer they were caught out on the break when substitute Timothy Weah – son of former City player George – broke down the right side.

His cross found its way to US international teammate McKennie, whose volley had too much on the line for Ederson.

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