Manchester City are on the brink of a Champions League exit after losing 2-1 to CSKA Moscow in a game which saw Manuel Pellegrini's side finish with nine men.
Two first-half goals from Seydou Doumbia, either side of a Yaya Toure equaliser, saw the visitors boast a slender 2-1 half-time lead at the Etihad Stadium.
The clash turned nasty in the second half as a frustrated City side lost Fernandinho and Toure to red cards, leaving the Russians to comfortably close the game out.
Below, Sports Mole takes a closer look at a madcap game at Eastlands.
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Match statistics
MANCHESTER CITY
Shots: 14
On target: 6
Possession: 61%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 13
CSKA MOSCOW
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 39%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
The statistics suggest that Manchester City dominated the entire game, and to some degree they did, but in truth they did nowhere near enough to salvage anything from it. They only forced Igor Akinfeev into a handful of meaningful saves throughout, and having defended far better than their English counterparts, it is hard to begrudge the Russian outfit their victory tonight.
Manchester City's performance
Patience and resilience are two qualities often thought to be the hallmark of champions but the Sky Blues lacked both in tonight's defeat. After falling behind so early in the game, City did respond well and got back on level terms just eight minutes later, but they never managed to solve their deficiencies in defence and conceded again to trail 2-1 at the break.
They forced Akinfeev into a couple of good saves but overall it was difficult to see them breaking down a stubborn CSKA defence, before ultimately losing belief in their task. Fernandinho and Yaya Toure, two pillars of their title-winning season last term, both earned red cards in moments of sheer frustration and stupidity that undoubtedly undermined their comeback. They lost their heads and their hearts and their teammates paid the penalty.
CSKA Moscow's performance
Despite boasting just three shots on target and scoring from two of them, it's so hard to begrudge Leonid Slutsky's side their three points at the Etihad tonight. The Russians were arguably the better team in the first half and deservedly took a 2-1 lead into the break. It was one-way traffic from that point on but CSKA produced a solid defensive performance that made the Citizens hit the self-destruct button.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Igor Akinfeev: This could have gone to a number of CSKA players for their performances, but the Russian keeper played a big role in helping his team leave Manchester with three points by producing a string of crucial saves in both halves to repel City; namely James Milner in the second half.
Biggest gaffe
Yaya Toure was guilty of not handling his emotions when a moment of madness from the big Ivorian saw him receive a straight red card - despite being already booked. Toure felt he was obstructed by Roman Eremenko before violently shoving the CSKA midfielder to the turf in an act of frustration that saw City reduced to nine men. We expect far better from the 31-year-old.
Referee performance
It is difficult not to sympathise with Tasos Sidiropoulos in what was just his second Champions League game. The Greek official looked way out of his depth tonight and might want to leave Manchester sooner rather than later after infuriating the natives on several occasions.
He did, to his credit, make the correct decisions to dismiss Fernandinho and Toure, but there were several other high-profile decisions that he got blatantly wrong in a game that simply spiralled so far out of his control.
What next?
Manchester City: The reigning Premier League champions resume domestic duties with a trip to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday evening.
CSKA Moscow: The Russians, meanwhile, face Dinamo in a Moscow derby on Sunday morning.
Shane Callaghan
