Worrying stats behind Man City slump as Pep Guardiola enters uncharted territory

Brighton inflicted a fourth straight loss on Manchester City on Saturday, the longest such run of Pep Guardiola's managerial career.

As the Premier League champions continue to combat an injury crisis, it is a run which has seen them dumped out of the Carabao Cup, lose ground on the leading pack in the Champions League and fall five points adrift of league leaders Liverpool.

Guardiola will hope the upcoming international break will help his side regroup as City look to kickstart their season ahead of the festive period.

Here is a look at City's losing run and those that have gone before.

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Tottenham 2 Manchester City 1, Carabao Cup, Oct 30

City have won the League Cup four times under Guardiola but Spurs ensured they will not add another this season. Timo Werner and Pape Sarr scored in the first 25 minutes and though Matheus Nunes halved the deficit, City could not find a way back.

Bournemouth 2 Manchester City 1, Premier League, Nov 2

Again City fell 2-0 behind, Evanilson's second-half strike adding to Antoine Semenyo's early opener. Again they got one back, thanks to defender Josko Gvardiol, but suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in over a year. It also ended a 32-match unbeaten run in the league.

Sporting Lisbon 4 Manchester City 1, Champions League, Nov 5

Phil Foden's early goal offered hope but Sporting, under Manchester United-bound manager Ruben Amorim, launched a stunning fightback. Viktor Gyokeres equalised, Maxi Araujo gave the Portuguese side the lead and two penalties completed Gyokeres' hat-trick as Sporting inflicted a seismic shock.

Brighton 2 Manchester City 1, Premier League, Nov 9

Erling Haaland bundled City in front but goals from substitutes Joao Pedro, on his return from injury, and Matt O'Riley on his Premier League debut turned the tables. As well as ensuring Guardiola's longest losing run as a manager, it was the first time City have lost a Premier League match in which Haaland has scored.

Career-worst run

With Bayern Munich in May 2015, Guardiola suffered consecutive defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Augsburg in the Bundesliga and his former club Barcelona in the Champions League. That run was preceded by a loss on penalties to Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal semi-final, a result which is officially recorded as a draw but provides the only precedent for Guardiola being beaten four times in a row.

He has twice before lost three games in a row with City, first in April 2018 when a 3-2 league defeat to a Paul Pogba-inspired Manchester United was sandwiched between Champions League losses to Liverpool.

The other spanned two seasons and three competitions with City losing the 2021 Champions League final to Chelsea, the Community Shield to Leicester and the 2021-22 Premier League opener to Tottenham, all 1-0.

With Barcelona, he never lost more than two games in a row to Wisla Krakow and Numancia in his second and third games in charge in 2008, Mallorca and Osasuna in LaLiga in 2009 and Chelsea and Real Madrid in April 2012.