25 May 2026 15:17 BST |
2 min read
Manchester City are undoubtedly one of the best clubs in England and few would doubt that the eight-time Premier League champions are one of the best in Europe too.
However, it wasn’t so long ago that the English club didn’t have untold fortunes from abroad to rely upon and actually tended to lose games more often than not.
This page will showcase Man City’s record defeats in the major competitions.
What is Manchester City’s biggest ever defeat in history?
Like many English clubs, Man City’s history dates back to the 19th century and that’s as far back as you have to go to find their biggest ever defeats.
Man City have lost by eight goals on four occasions. They were thrashed 10-2 by Small Heath – now known as Birmingham City – in 1893, while they lost 9-1 to Everton in 1906.
The club have lost 8-0 on two occasions. The first came in 1894 when Burton Wanderers inflicted such a result on them in the First Division and the result was repeated in 1933, when Wolverhampton Wanderers did the same thing.
What is Manchester City’s biggest ever home defeat in history?
Man City’s biggest home defeat of all time came in 1946 when they were thrashed 8-2 by Bradford Park Avenue in the FA Cup.
What is Manchester City’s biggest ever away defeat in history?
Manchester City’s biggest ever away defeats are the 10-2 loss to Small Heath, the 9-1 loss to Everton and the 8-0 losses to Burton Wanderers and Wolves.
What is Manchester City’s biggest ever Premier League defeat in history?
Manchester City’s biggest ever Premier League defeat in the history of the club came on 11 May 2008, when Middlesbrough beat them 8-1.
What is Manchester City’s biggest ever European defeat in history?
Man City’s biggest ever European home loss came in 2016 when Lionel Messi inspired a brilliant Barcelona team to a 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium in the group stage.
What is Manchester City’s biggest ever Champions League defeat in history?
Despite their long history, Man City haven’t had extensive experience playing in the Champions League. So their biggest defeat in Europe’s elite club competition was also the 4-0 defeat to Lionel Messi’s side.
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