2022: City's year
The story of an extraordinary year in the history of Manchester City...
From the moment Rodrigo’s added time goal against Arsenal sealed a vital New Year’s Day win, 2022 was set to be a special 12 months for Manchester City.
All four of the Club’s leading sides have lifted trophies this calendar year and are again well placed to challenge for more honours come spring.
Pep Guardiola’s men won a fourth Premier League title in five seasons and saw this year’s accomplishment matched by our Elite Development Squad and Under-18s for the second successive campaign.
Meanwhile our women’s side, managed by Gareth Taylor, were Continental Cup winners back in March.
Our achievements in 2022 were recognised by France Football, who nominated more City players across all categories of the Ballon d'Or awards than any other club.
As a result, we were crowned Club of the Year at the ceremony in October.
We have also been well represented on the international stage, with seven of our squad playing their part in the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 victory during the summer.
City's Chloe Kelly even scored the winning goal in the Wembley final that is now part of English football folklore forever more.
16 players, more than any other club in the Premier League, went to Qatar for the recent World Cup which was eventually won by Julian Alvarez’s Argentina.
Here we’ll take a look at the story of City’s 2022…
January
Rodrigo’s late winner at the Emirates Stadium was the best possible start to the new year, moving City 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
After a Cole Palmer inspired FA Cup third round win at Swindon, a Kevin De Bruyne strike beat Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium before the month ended with a hard-fought draw at Southampton – bringing to a close a 12-game winning run in the league.
In that match, Guardiola reached a total of 500 Premier League points – eighteen matches quicker than anyone else in the league’s history.
Planning for 2022/23 also began on the final day of the month when Julian Alvarez’s signature was announced. The Argentinian remained with River Plate on loan until the summer.
Gareth Taylor’s side scored goals galore, defeating Brighton 6-0 and Aston Villa 3-0 before coming within seconds of beating Arsenal in the final game of January.
Our EDS continued apace at the top of the Premier League 2 with three victories including a 3-1 defeat of Manchester United but it was heartbreak for the Under-18s as our FA Youth Cup campaign ended in the fourth round.
Men’s team: Three wins, one draw
Women’s team: Five wins, one draw
Etihad Player of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne
Nissan Goal of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne v Chelsea
February
A 2-0 win over Brentford was followed by a strong home showing against Norwich City which saw Raheem Sterling's hat-trick take him into the club’s top 10 scorers of all-time and included minutes for youngsters James McAtee, Liam Delap and Kayky.
Harry Kane’s 95th minute winner for Spurs at the Etihad Stadium consigned us to our third league defeat of the season but we got back on track with a last gasp victory at Everton to round out the month.
Outside of the league, we beat Fulham in the FA Cup and thrashed Sporting in the Round of 16 thanks to a flurry of spectacular goals.
We recorded a 3-0 semi-final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Continental Cup but WSL defeat a few days later against Chelsea put our opponents in pole position for the league title again.
A week later, yet another glorious Manchester derby goal from Caroline Weir made a day to remember at the Academy Stadium.
The most notable result for the Under-18s was a huge 8-3 victory over Leeds United.
Men’s team: Five wins, one loss
Women’s team: Three wins, one loss
Etihad Player of the Month: Riyad Mahrez
Nissan Goal of the Month: Caroline Weir v Manchester United
March
March started with an away FA Cup victory over Peterborough but it’s a 4-1 victory over Manchester United a few days later that is most fondly remembered.
Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez each struck braces including a beautiful half-volley from the Algerian. It took the Belgian beyond 50 Premier League goals and Mahrez to his 20th goal of the season for the first time in his career.
Just a day earlier, our Under-18s had thrashed their counterparts from Old Trafford 5-1.
Two goalless draws followed, one to guarantee safe passage to the quarter-final of the Champions League and one on the road at Crystal Palace which cut our lead at the top of table to just one point.
There was an FA Cup quarter-final victory though, beating Southampton 4-1 at St Mary’s.
The women started the month with the Club’s first silverware of 2022: the Continental Cup. A 3-1 victory over Chelsea at AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane sparked wild celebrations.
The good feeling remained throughout the month with three consecutive WSL victories and an FA Cup quarter-final defeat of Everton.
Men’s team: Two wins, two draws
Women’s team: Five wins
Etihad Player of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne
Nissan Goal of the Month: Riyad Mahrez v Manchester United
April
After the international break we got back on track with a 2-0 win at Burnley before a 1-0 first leg defeat of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final just a few days later.
That began an intense two weeks, which a classic 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool sat right in the middle of. Off the back of that was a fierce battle in Madrid that ended goalless and saw Guardiola’s men to the semi-final.
An FA Cup semi-final ended that run but it was defeat for the Blues against Liverpool. Gabriel Jesus scored four in a 5-1 victory over Watford before a classic in the Champions League first leg semi-final with Real Madrid ended 4-3. The month was ended by a 4-0 win at Leeds United that maintained our lead at the top of the table.
Gareth Taylor’s side maintained their excellent run of form with three consecutive WSL wins and a 4-1 FA Cup semi-final win over West Ham.
It was a huge month for Brian Barry-Murphy’s Elite Development Squad, who sealed the Premier League 2 title with a 3-1 victory at Leeds United. It was our second consecutive title at that level. Meanwhile, our Under-18s won three of their four league games including a 13-0 demolition of Newcastle United.
Men’s team: Six wins, two draws, one loss
Women’s team: Four wins
Etihad Player of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne
Nissan Goal of the Month: Rodrigo v Watford
May
We went into May with four matches remaining in the Premier League and a Champions League semi-final to decide.
It began in devastating fashion as Real Madrid scored in the 90th and 91st minute to snatch the place in European football's grand finale from under our noses.
We immediately bounced back with a 5-0 win over Newcastle United and a 5-1 win at Wolves in which Kevin De Bruyne scored four times.
A wobble in the early minutes at West Ham was rectified by a second half comeback that earned a draw and ensured the destination of the title was still in our hands on the final day.
That day didn’t go as any City fan could have envisaged. 10 years on from Sergio Aguero’s iconic strike, the Blues turned a 2-0 defeat into a 3-2 win with eight crazy minutes at the Etihad Stadium.
There were tears across Manchester that day and a fourth Premier League title in five seasons was won.
It was the second silverware of the month after our Under-18s had defeated Southampton in the national Premier League final just a few days prior.
Not only that, the future planning had continued early in the month when we announced that we had reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for the signature of Erling Haaland.
Outside of the football on the pitch, the cast of 2011/12 were back in town for a special event reflecting on that historic title win a decade previous.
Men’s team: Three wins, one draw, one loss
Women’s team: Two wins, one loss
Etihad Player of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne
June
Erling Haaland’s move to Manchester City was confirmed on 13 June. One of the game's most sought after players, the son of a former City player, would ply his trade at the Etihad Stadium.
Meanwhile, the rest of the squad took off around the world to first play for their nations and then holiday after the drama of the previous months.
Phil Foden was named the PFA Young Player of the Year for the second season in a row while Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva were named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Juanma Lillo was the first major exit of the summer with Pep Guardiola’s assistant leaving to take charge of Al Sadd SC.
Venezuelan superstar Deyna Castellanos arrived at City at the start of the month and was soon joined by Leila Ouahabi, Laia Aleixandri and Mary Fowler.
Lauren Hemp was crowned PFA Young Player of the Year for the fourth time while Alex Greenwood, Caroline Weir and Hemp made the PFA Team of the Year. Seven City players were named in England’s Euro 2022 squad.
July
The month began with two signings in three days as Stefan Ortega Moreno and Kalvin Phillips walked through the doors at the Etihad Stadium for the first time. Alvarez, Haaland and Ortega Moreno were all welcomed by supporters in a special event outside the Etihad Stadium.
There were sad goodbyes too, with Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko all moving on after glittering spells with the Club.
A successful tour of the US, on which we launched our new away kit at NASA's base in Houston and played two huge friendlies against Club America and Bayern Munich, was followed by a Community Shield defeat to Liverpool.
For much of the month, the focus was on the women’s game. England were making serene progress through Euro 2022 and ended the month with the most dramatic of goals to beat Germany at Wembley. Our own Chloe Kelly was the scorer and her name is now forever etched into English football history.
Kerstin Casparij and Sandy MacIver also joined the Club during the month of July while Liam Delap and Callum Doyle were part of the England U19s squad that lifted the European Championships in Slovakia.
August
After all the talk, Erling Haaland’s City career started in spectacular fashion. The Norwegian scored nine in his first five Premier League matches including hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest as the Blues won four of our five opening fixtures.
We also went to Barcelona for a special charity friendly which raised more than €4 million to help fund research into the fight to tackle amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
It was another painful Women’s Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid. The winner came from Caroline Weir, who had left City just weeks earlier to join the Spanish side.
Men’s team: Four wins, one draw
Women’s team: One win, one loss
Etihad Player of the Month: Erling Haaland
Nissan Goal of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne v Bournemouth
September
The start of the month marked the end of the summer transfer window and the arrival of Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund.
The defender slotted seamlessly into the team, after missing the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa due to the birth of his child, for Champions League wins over Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund.
The death of the Queen saw our meeting with Tottenham Hostpur postponed but there was one further Premier League game that month – a convincing 3-0 win at Wolves.
Gareth Taylor’s team struggled in the opening week of the WSL campaign, losing to both Aston Villa and Chelsea. Japanese midfielder Yui Hasegawa had come in to bolster the ranks after Keira Walsh had left for Barcelona.
Four wins for the EDS and three for the Under-18s put us in strong positions in their respective leagues.
Men’s team: Three wins, one draw
Women’s team: Two losses
Etihad Player of the Month: Erling Haaland
Nissan Goal of the Month: Erling Haaland v Aston Villa
October
With plenty of matches to fit in before the looming World Cup break, Pep Guardiola knew his side were going to be busy.
We started October in the best possible manner, thrashing Manchester United 6-3 on an unforgettable day at the Etihad Stadium. Both Phil Foden and Erling Haaland scored hat-tricks that day with the latter doing so for the third consecutive home league fixture.
A 5-0 win over FC Copenhagen, a 4-0 defeat of Southampton and a goalless draw again with Copenhagen continued the good feeling and guaranteed our place in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Foden committed his long term future to the Club just days before our first loss of the Premier League campaign, a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.
The following day we were crowned Club of the Year at the Ballon d’Or ceremony while Ederson was voted third in Yashin Trophy and Kevin De Bruyne was the same place for the main award.
Two Premier League wins and a 0-0 draw in Dortmund rounded out the month.
Yui Hasegawa made her City debut in the 4-0 demolition of Leicester City, scoring herself and giving the Blues our first win of the campaign.
Three further wins followed as we made quick work to turn around September’s slow start.
Also in a very busy month, Brian Barry-Murphy’s EDS reached the last 16 of the UEFA Youth League with a game to spare after a 3-3 draw on the road at Borussia Dortmund. This is the first time we have achieved that since the 2017/18 season.
Men’s team: Five wins, two draws, one loss
Women’s team: Four wins
Etihad Player of the Month: Manuel Akanji
Nissan Goal of the Month: Kevin De Bruyne v Leicester City
November
A heavily front-loaded month for Pep Guardiola’s side saw us play four home matches in just 10 days before the World Cup break. 16 City men would feature in Qatar – more than any other Premier League club.
It appeared to be going swimmingly when Rico Lewis’ debut ended in a 3-1 win over Sevilla and a notable record for the then 17-year-old as he became the youngest player ever to score on Champions League debut.
A 10-man late win against Fulham and a convincing Carabao Cup defeat of Chelsea raised spirits further before a shock 98th minute Ivan Toney goal earned Brentford a 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium in the final match of the month.
With a break for the men's side due to the World Cup, Pep Guardiola took the opportunity to sign a two-year contract extension keeping him at the club until the summer of 2025.
Gareth Taylor’s side continued an incredible upturn in form with convincing wins over Reading and Sunderland either side of a tougher 2-1 victory at Everton.
Our EDS saw our Papa Johns Trophy campaign end at the group stage but a 6-1 win on the road at United sent a message to the rest of the Premier League 2 that this side mean business again.
Men’s team: Three wins, one loss
Women’s team: Three wins
Etihad Player of the Month: Julian Alvarez
Nissan Goal of the Month: Phil Foden v Brentford
December
As the World Cup got closer to its climax, those not in Qatar took the opportunity for a warm weather training camp in Abu Dhabi at the start of the month.
From the 16 City men at the tournament, only Julian Alvarez was left standing by the semi-final stage. Not a guaranteed starter at the beginning of the tournament, he had become integral to Argentina and proved a vital assistant to Lionel Messi.
He was crucial to the 3-0 last four win over Croatia and ran, ran and ran as his nation dominated a final they eventually won on penalties.
The player’s returns were staggered but a much stronger side than previously anticipated took on Liverpool in the first competitive fixture in almost six weeks and won an end to end classic 3-2 to seal a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
Our women’s side beat Brighton and Liverpool in the WSL and Continental Cup but it was the Etihad Stadium Manchester derby that consumed most fans’ thoughts. A club record crowd of 44,259 saw a thrilling encounter between two sides chasing European qualification end 1-1.
Our FA Youth Cup campaign began with a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers while our EDS made the most of their winter break, joining the first teamers in Abu Dhabi and for a friendly with Girona.
Football waits for no one, not even after a year filled with so much success. Now we look towards 2023, another 12 months filled with opportunities to make history.
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