2022–23 Manchester City F.C. Season
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The 2022–23 season was the 128th season in the existence of Manchester City Football Club and their 21st consecutive season in the top flight of English football, where they were competing as two-time defending champions. In addition to the Premier League, Manchester City also participated in this season's editions of the FA Cup,
EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
, Community Shield and UEFA Champions League, entering the latter for the 12th consecutive season. The season was unusual in that the fixture dates of domestic and European competitions were altered to accommodate the FIFA World Cup played in November and December 2022 in Qatar. Manchester City kicked off the season by losing the Community Shield to Liverpool 1–3 and were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Southampton at the quarter-final stage in January 2023. On 20 May, City mathematically clinched their third consecutive Premier League title following an exciting title race with closest rivals
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, who had been leading the standings for the large part of the season. On 3 June, City defeated rivals
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
2–1 in the FA Cup final to win their second trophy of the season. Furthermore, the Blues had advanced to their second
Champions League final The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of European ...
in three years, where they defeated Inter Milan on 10 June in Istanbul to clinch the club's first-ever European Cup, their first European trophy since
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, and complete only the second continental treble by an English men's team, after Manchester United in 1998–99. Manchester City ended the season topping the UEFA coefficient rankings. One of this season's individual highlights were the goalscoring feats of City's new striker Erling Haaland in his debut season in English football. He broke several club, league, and
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records after scoring 52 goals in his first 53 games at City, going on to win multiple individual awards, including the European Golden Shoe. This was the first season since
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without former team captain
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, who left at the end of the previous season to return to Brazil, the first since 2015–16 without Gabriel Jesus, who departed to
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, and the first since 2014–15 not to feature English forward Raheem Sterling, who moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2022.


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Season summary


Pre-season

Manchester City had already resolved their most pressing squad issue before the end of the previous season, having announced their agreement to recruit a prolific centre-forward in Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. This transfer was confirmed on 13 June 2022, with Haaland formally joining the first team on 1 July.
Julián Álvarez Julián Álvarez (; born 31 January 2000) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentina national team. Álvarez began his football career in his native Argentina, whe ...
would also join from River Plate, having been transferred in January 2022 and then temporarily loaned back. City were expected to purchase a defensive midfielder to replace former captain
Fernandinho Fernandinho is a hypocorism of the name Fernando and means "Little Fernando" or "Fernando Jr." in Portuguese. Fernandinho may refer to: Footballers *Fernandinho (footballer, born January 1981), Éldis Fernando Damasio, Brazilian footballer who ...
. Kalvin Phillips was duly signed from Leeds United for a reported fee of £42 million plus add-ons on 4 July, and took the number 4 shirt previously worn by Vincent Kompany. City were also reported to be in the market for a new specialist left-back, with rumours that Marc Cucurella of
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
was their number one target. City's first player sales of the season were the transfer out of
Pedro Porro Pedro Antonio Porro Sauceda (; born 13 September 1999) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right back or right winger for club Tottenham Hotspur, on loan from Primeira Liga club Sporting CP, and the Spain national team. He sta ...
to Sporting CP through a loan-to-buy deal for £7.2 million, and of
Gavin Bazunu Gavin Okeroghene Bazunu (born 20 February 2002) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Southampton and the Republic of Ireland national team. Bazunu started his career at Shamrock Rovers, making ...
to Southampton for £12 million initially, up to £15 million after add-ons. Neither player had made a first-team appearance for City. City began pre-season with several key first-team players entering the final years of their contract amidst rumours that they might leave the club for a fee rather than renew. Of these, it seemed the most speculation concerned Gabriel Jesus and his possible transfer to
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, Tottenham Hotspur or
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
after five years at City, and Raheem Sterling, who was also rumoured to be a Real Madrid target. Both players would, in theory, compete with the incoming Haaland and Álvarez for playing time if they remained. Jesus left City for Arsenal for a reported fee of £45 million on 4 July. Sterling went on to join Chelsea on 13 July for a fee reported to be about £47.5 million, with £2.5 million of add-ons. He had won eleven domestic titles in seven seasons at Manchester City, scoring 131 goals in 339 appearances, and was the club's 11th-highest scorer of all time. Another significant transfer was the move of versatile Ukrainian left-back/midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal for a fee of around £30 million after six seasons at City on 22 July. This left
Pep Guardiola Josep "Pep" Guardiola Sala (; born 18 January 1971) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of club Manchester City. He is considered one of the greatest managers of all time and holds the re ...
with just two senior specialist full-backs in his squad at the start of the new season, both of whom were natural right-backs, meaning City did not have a first team left-back. The club had refused to offer the minimum £50 million fee demanded by Brighton for Cucurella and he was eventually transferred to Chelsea on 5 August for a reported fee in excess of £60 million. Manchester City opted to start pre-season training a week later than most of their rivals, and scheduled only two friendly warm-up games as part of their tour of the United States, in order to ensure their players would have sufficient rest. They would also begin the new season with a relatively small squad of just twenty senior players. Both of these were considered to be strong preferences by Guardiola.


Start of season

City won both their pre-season tour games in the United States. However, they tasted defeat in their first competitive match of the season, losing 1–3 to a more-prepared Liverpool side in the Community Shield held at Leicester City's King Power Stadium. Debutant Julián Álvarez scored the sole goal for the Blues. In their first league game on 7 August, City beat West Ham United 2–0 away, with Haaland recording his first two competitive goals for the club; he became the first City player to score a brace on their league debut since Sergio Agüero did so against
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
in
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. The following weekend, City announced that İlkay Gündoğan had been appointed club captain, with Rodri and Kyle Walker joining the vice-captain leadership group, shortly after City won their first league game at home 4–0 against
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
. City finally recruited a specialist left-back on 16 August, signing Spanish under-21 defender Sergio Gómez for £11 million plus add-ons from
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, where he had previously played under the management of former City defender and captain Vincent Kompany. On 21 August, City played
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
in an even match at St James' Park, and fought out another two-goal comeback to snatch a 3–3 draw. With seven points after three games, City were second in the league standings, two points behind
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. On 27 August, City fell behind by two goals for the fourth time in six league matches, this time against Crystal Palace at home, only to recover to a 4–2 victory in a second half comeback, with Erling Haaland scoring his first home goals and first hat-trick for the club. On 31 August, Haaland became the first City player in the Premier League era to score a hat-trick in consecutive league games, scoring a "
perfect Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection, completeness, excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film * Perfect (1985 film), ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * Perfect (2018 f ...
" one in a 6–0 home rout of newly promoted Nottingham Forest. He had scored nine goals in his first five league games, another Premier League record. City were estimated to have earnt a Premier League record of about £180 million from transfer sales during the single summer 2022 window, thus demonstrating the success of the team's academy programme (sales included several youth players sold for seven- or eight-figure fees), and the increasing market value for footballers (such as Zinchenko and Jesus) gained from playing under Guardiola and his coaching team for several seasons. City's overall net-spend in both 2022 transfer windows was estimated to be around £100 million or more. In their opening UEFA Champions League group game, Manchester City thrashed Sevilla 4–0 in Spain, with a Haaland brace that brought his tally up to twelve goals in eight games for City and 25 goals in just twenty total Champions League appearances. This was Sevilla's largest ever defeat at home in the Champions League and their first defeat in an opening fixture since their debut season; this was also the sixth time in seven seasons that City had won their opening fixture in the competition. City's home league fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, which originally was due to be played on 10 September, was postponed a day beforehand along with the entire weekend's English football league programme as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The following week, the away league fixture against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, due to be played on 19 October, was also postponed indirectly due to events following the Queen's death. By late September, and the first international break of the season, City were second in the league, one point behind Arsenal and ahead of Spurs on goal difference, with a record of five wins and two draws. By that point, Haaland had already scored fourteen goals in ten games across all competitions and become the first player in Premier League history to score in all of his first four away fixtures. City had also extended their unbeaten away run in the league to 22 games and well over a year since their last defeat.


Autumn period

On 2 October, City beat
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
6–3 in the first Manchester derby of the season at the Etihad, making it the highest scoring derby match of all-time. Both Haaland and Phil Foden scored the first City derby hat-tricks in 52 years and only the third and fourth of all time. Haaland also became the first Premier League player to score a hat-trick in three consecutive home games, and City became the first team since Tottenham in
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
to win eight consecutive league home games while scoring three goals or more. With his performance, the Norwegian pushed his output to seventeen goals in eleven appearances, as well as fourteen Premier League goals in eight appearances. A 4–0 home league victory against Southampton the following week included another goal from Haaland and meant he had now scored in ten consecutive fixtures overall and seven in the Premier League. The latter record matched a feat accomplished only once before by a City player in the Premier League, namely Sergio Agüero in
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. Haaland also reached the milestone of twenty goals for the season after playing only thirteen matches, another league record. Moreover, City matched the previous all-time English record set by Wolves in
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of nine consecutive home league wins while scoring three or more goals. In the league standings, the Blues maintained their second place with 23 points, just one behind surprise leaders Arsenal and already three ahead of third-placed Spurs. City qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League for the tenth consecutive season on 11 October. Although they could only draw 0–0 away to Copenhagen that night, a 1–1 draw between Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla ensured their progression. City's match included three first-half VAR decisions: a 25-yard Rodri strike ruled out because of a Riyad Mahrez handball in the build-up, a penalty awarded to City, also for handball, taken by Mahrez and saved, and a
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or dia ...
shown to City's left back Sergio Gómez for a professional foul, which left the Blues playing with ten men for over an hour. City suffered their first league defeat in a hard-fought match against Liverpool at Anfield on 16 October. Mohamed Salah scored the only goal off of a second-half breakaway, after Foden had seen his effort earlier in the contest ruled out by VAR for a foul on Fabinho by Haaland in the build-up. A second consecutive 0–0 Champions League away draw, to Dortmund on 25 October, was sufficient to ensure City would qualify for the last 16 as group winners with one game to spare, although Mahrez again missed a penalty. On 2 November, Rico Lewis scored his first senior goal in a 3–1 win against Sevilla; he became the all-time youngest scorer on a first start in a Champions League match and City's youngest ever Champions League scorer, aged 17 years and 346 days. Three days later, City beat
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
2–1 in the league at the Etihad, having played for over an hour with ten men after João Cancelo had been sent off when adjudged to have deliberately denied Harry Wilson a goal-scoring opportunity with a shoulder charge. City's winner was scored in the fifth minute of injury time by Haaland, netting a penalty after De Bruyne had been fouled. This led to ecstatic scenes afterwards with Guardiola encouraging his players to thank the crowd with a lap of honour. The Blues lost their final game before the mid-season break for the World Cup on 12 November, having been beaten 1–2 at home to
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
with a brace, including a 98th minute winner, from
Ivan Toney Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney (born 16 March 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Brentford. Toney became the youngest player to represent Northampton Town when he made his first-team debut in 2012, and sco ...
. City therefore ended the first part of the season in second place in the league, five points behind
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and two points ahead of Newcastle, but with a game in hand; the Blues also advanced in the Champions League with an unbeaten record and reached the fourth round of the
EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
. Sixteen of City's players were called up in
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to play in the World Cup finals, second only to Barcelona (seventeen) in world football, and the most in the club's history. This left just eight players remaining at home until the season resumed the week before Christmas with a home EFL Cup tie against Liverpool. Just two of City's World Cup participants played for teams eliminated after the group stage of the competition; the other fourteen would remain for the knockout phase. However, only Julián Álvarez reached the final week of the competition in the Argentina squad, while the others were eliminated either in the round of 16 or quarter-finals. Álvarez went on to become the fifth player to participate on the pitch in a World Cup final while playing at City (after Nigel de Jong in
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, and Sergio Agüero, Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis in
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), and only the second to become a World Cup winner as a City player. The club announced on 23 November that Pep Guardiola had signed a new contract to remain as manager for an additional two years until summer 2025.


Christmas and New Year

All but two of City's first team players had been able to return to training by the time of the first competitive fixture after the resumption of the season. Ederson had been delayed by flight problems returning from Brazil, and Álvarez was permitted an extended break to enjoy the victory celebrations in Argentina. In their first match back on 22 December, City beat Liverpool for the first time in two seasons with a 3–2 win in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, thus knocking out the current holders and qualifying for the quarter-finals. Another brace from Haaland in City's 3–1 away victory over Leeds in their first league game after the World Cup moved him to twenty league goals for the season, as he became the fastest player since the formation of the Premier League to reach this milestone (after only fourteen appearances). City suffered from inconsistent form in early January 2023. They were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Southampton in a 2–0 defeat at St Mary's Stadium, and dropped league points against Everton and Manchester United to allow Arsenal to open up an eight point gap at the top of the table. The latter derby defeat included a controversial equalising goal for their rivals, which many observers deemed should have been ruled out for offside. However, the Blues also convincingly beat Chelsea 4–0 in the FA Cup to reach the fourth round. Haaland scored his fourth hat-trick of the season in City's 3–0 victory over Wolves on 22 January. This set a new club record for the most hat-tricks scored in a single season and a new national record for the fewest games to achieve the milestone. It also moved Haaland to 31 goals in all competitions for the season, only seven behind City's all-time record, as he became only the thirteenth player in the club's history to score more than thirty. On winter transfer deadline day, João Cancelo moved on loan to
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
for the remainder of the season with an option for a later permanent transfer, amid rumours he had fallen out with Pep Guardiola. Until then Cancelo had played the most minutes of any of the squad's defenders but had found game time more limited since the World Cup with the emergence of teenage academy graduate Rico Lewis and the form of Nathan Aké. On 6 February, the Premier League announced that, after a four-year investigation, they were charging Manchester City with committing more than 100 breaches of financial rules, referring the club to an independent commission for breaches made between 2009 and 2018. City were also accused of not co-operating with the investigation. The punishments that the commission could impose ranged from fines to points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League. Despite this, City went back to top of the league on 15 February when they beat Arsenal 3–1 at the
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...
to move ahead of them on goal difference, although their opponents that day still had a game in hand. However, this lead was brief as City's inconsistency and wasteful finishing again cost them two points in their following match away at Nottingham Forest, as the Blues were held to a 1–1 draw with a late equaliser by Chris Wood for the hosts; Arsenal won their game in hand to again stretch their lead to five points by early March. Haaland scored his 27th goal of the league season against Bournemouth on 25 February, breaking the club record that Sergio Agüero set in 2014–15 for most Premier League goals in a season. On 28 February, City defeated Bristol City away from home 3–0, advancing to the FA Cup quarter-finals.


Season run-in

On 14 March, on a record breaking night, City defeated RB Leipzig 7–0 at home (8–1 on aggregate) in their Champions League round of 16 second leg tie to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition. This equalled City's record scoreline in the Champions League, but the match was particularly notable for the five goals scored by Haaland, who in recording his 39th goal of the season broke the 94-year-old club record of Tommy Johnson. It was also the first time a City player had scored five goals in a single continental match, and broke the record for the most number of continental goals scored in a season. Prior to the final international break of the season, the Blues displayed an impressive offensive showing against Burnley, recording a 6–0 home win in the FA Cup quarter-finals with another Haaland hat-trick. Following the resumption of domestic football on City convincingly beat Liverpool 4–1 at home on 1 April, despite going a goal behind and missing the injured Haaland and Foden from their matchday squad. However, Arsenal matched the result later that day by beating Leeds United. Thus, with just ten games remaining, City remained seven points behind the Gunners as league leaders, but still had a game in hand and a home fixture against their league rivals to help bolster their chances of retaining their title. On 8 April, in a 4–1 away win against Southampton, Haaland brought his tally to thirty league goals with a brace, becoming only the fifth player to reach this milestone and the fastest ever to do so. De Bruyne also became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League assists. Arsenal dropped points the following day, drawing 2–2 away to Liverpool after they had led by two goals. This reduced the deficit to six points with City still having a game in hand, yet to play their rivals at home and with a superior goal difference. On 11 April, Manchester City faced ten-time defending Bundesliga champions
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
at home in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, and earned a convincing 3–0 victory. Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Haaland each scored, and the Blues had multiple chances to further increase their advantage. A dominant first-half performance against Leicester City in the next league game saw City run out as 3–1 winners. Another brace from Haaland brought his league goals tally to 32, equalling the record held by Mohamed Salah for goals in a 38-game Premier League season. The following day, Arsenal once again dropped points after holding a two goal lead, drawing 2–2 at West Ham and thus decreasing their lead at the top of the table to only four points with an extra game played. On 19 April, the Blues secured safe passage to the Champions League semi-finals for the third year in a row after a 1–1 draw with Bayern at the Allianz Arena. Haaland had sent a penalty over the crossbar at the end of the first half, but atoned by converting a one-on-one chance early into the second period. Late in the game, Bayern managed to equalise with a penalty from Joshua Kimmich. City would next face holders
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
in a rematch of the previous year's semi-finals, where the Spanish giants had dramatically won 6–5 on aggregate after extra time en route to their 14th European crown. Later that week, Arsenal hosted the league's bottom club Southampton and drew 3–3 unexpectedly, coming back from a two-goal deficit. Their lead in first place was now five points, having played two more matches, than City, and due to meet them at the Etihad in their next game in what was billed as a league decider. On 22 April, Riyad Mahrez scored City's first ever Wembley hat-trick, and the first in a FA Cup semi-final since 1958, to beat Sheffield United 3–0 and reach the club's twelfth FA Cup final. On 26 April, City convincingly beat Arsenal 4–1 at home, with a brace from De Bruyne and a goal and two assists from Haaland, with his goal breaking the Premier League scoring record for a 38-game season. This meant City moved to within two points of their opponents with two games in hand, leaving the destiny of the league title in City's hands with only seven games remaining.


End of season

On 3 May, Haaland became the sole record holder for the most Premier League goals scored in a single season, netting City's second goal in a 3–0 home victory against West Ham. The third goal, scored by Phil Foden, was also the 1,000th under Guardiola's reign as City manager, achieved in just 404 games. Further victories away at Fulham and at home to Leeds United stretched City's winning streak in the league to ten games and ensured that they would likely require a maximum of eight points from their four remaining fixtures to retain the league title, thanks to a significantly better goal difference than their closest rivals. On 9 May, the Blues secured a 1–1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, with Kevin De Bruyne netting a long-range equaliser and becoming the first player to score in separate Champions League away knockout games against Real Madrid, having previously done so against ''Los Blancos'' in the round of 16 of the 2019–20 edition. City had controlled much of the game and frustrated the title holders in many periods of the match. However, both goalkeepers had to make several saves to keep the scores level. The result stretched City's unbeaten run to 21 matches in all competitions over the past three months. On 12 May, Haaland was named FWA Footballer of the Year, the season's first top level award. City extended their unbeaten run to 22 games and their league winning streak to eleven as they defeated Everton 3–0 at Goodison Park on 14 May, with captain İlkay Gündoğan scoring a brace for the second league match in a row. This win, coupled with Arsenal's home defeat to Brighton later the same day, meant that City could become league champions if they were victorious against Chelsea at home in their next league game, or if Arsenal lost against Nottingham Forest in their next fixture the day before. The latter scenario subsequently materialised, as Arsenal lost 0–1 at Forest on 20 May, with Manchester City thus securing a third consecutive league title, and fifth in six years, with three games to spare. On 17 May, in one of their best performances of the Guardiola era, City thrashed Real Madrid 4–0 at home in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals for a convincing 5–1 aggregate victory. Bernardo Silva scored a first-half brace and Manuel Akanji and Julián Álvarez further extended their lead in the second half. Once again, the Blues had an abundance of chances to score more, but, similarly to last season, Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois's prolific performance kept his side in the game, this time until City's third goal. Manchester City therefore advanced to their second Champions League final in three years, having lost to Chelsea in the 2021 final; they would meet Inter Milan in Istanbul on 10 June 2023, attempting to clinch their first European Cup and first European trophy since
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
. With the title already secured, City ended their league campaign with a home win, an away draw and an away defeat against Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford, respectively, as Guardiola rotated his squad to rest players ahead of their two upcoming finals. In the end of season awards, Haaland became the first player to win both the Premier League Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season awards, as well as the Golden Boot. De Bruyne won the Playmaker of the Season award, while Guardiola won both the Premier League Manager of the Season and LMA Manager of the Year awards.


The treble

On 3 June, City secured the league and FA Cup double for the second time in their history by beating city rivals Manchester United 2–1 in the first-ever Manchester derby cup final. İlkay Gündoğan scored both goals for the Blues, the first one after just 12 seconds, making it the fastest in FA Cup final history. On 10 June, Manchester City faced Inter Milan in the Champions League final, aiming to end the 53-year European trophy drought and secure the continental treble, and the match was a tense and close affair. City began the final with Kyle Walker unexpectedly left on the bench in favour of Nathan Aké; Inter retained the same starting line-up that had played in previous rounds. The two sides had scoring chances early in the first half, but Inter's André Onana made two saves to prevent City from taking the lead. A misplayed pass from Ederson in the 26th minute was stolen by
Nicolò Barella Nicolò Barella (born 7 February 1997) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Inter Milan and the Italy national team. He is often recognized as one of the best midfielders in Europe. Club career Cagliari ...
, but his shot over the goalkeeper missed. De Bruyne would leave the match in the 36th minute with a hamstring injury, and he was replaced by Phil Foden. The first half ended scoreless, with Inter playing more defensively to prevent City from gaining momentum. Romelu Lukaku was brought on to replace former City striker Edin Džeko early in the second half and immediately produced a chance from a header. In the 59th minute, Ederson did not anticipate a backpass from Akanji which was found by Inter's
Lautaro Martínez Lautaro Javier Martínez (born 22 August 1997) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Inter Milan and the Argentina national team. Martínez began his football career in his native Argentina, where he made his ...
; his shot from near the touchline was blocked by Ederson. Rodri scored the opening goal for City in the 68th minute, finishing a pulled-back pass that Bernardo Silva sent from near the goal to the top of the penalty area. Inter had a chance to equalise three minutes later through a header by defender
Federico Dimarco Federico Dimarco (born 10 November 1997) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a left-back or left midfielder for club Inter Milan and the Italy national team. Club career Inter Milan A product of Inter Milan's youth academy, Dim ...
that hit the crossbar. Dimarco tried to capitalise on the rebound as well, but his shot was blocked by Lukaku. The Belgian striker had his own chance to score from a close-range header in the 89th minute, which Ederson blocked with his legs. The Brazilian made an additional save in stoppage time off of a Robin Gosens header to preserve a 1–0 victory for City. Rodri, who scored the lone goal and was instrumental in City's midfield, was named man of the match by UEFA. For Manchester City, this was their first-ever European Cup, and first European trophy since 1970. Having earlier won the Premier league and FA Cup titles, they achieved a continental treble, becoming only the second English and eighth European men's club to have done so. As winners, City earned the right to play against Sevilla, the champions of the
2022–23 UEFA Europa League The 2022–23 UEFA Europa League is the 52nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 14th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final will be played at the Puská ...
, in the UEFA Super Cup, as well as qualifying for both the
2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
and 2025 FIFA Club World Cups. City's players and staff later received multiple prestigious awards in recognition of their achievements. Haaland was named the UEFA Men's Player of the Year, and Pep Guardiola won the UEFA Men's Coach of the Year award. Seven City players were included in the Champions League team of the season, with Rodri being named the most valuable player of the tournament.


First-team squad

:


Transfers


Transfers in


Transfers out


Loans out


New contracts


Pre-season and friendlies

On 25 April, Manchester City announced they would travel to the United States for two pre-season friendlies in preparation for the new season, starting with a fixture against
Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
on 20 July. The second fixture against
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
on 23 July was announced a week later. On 7 December, City announced they would play a friendly match against fellow CFG team Girona on 17 December at their Academy Stadium as a warm-up to the resumption of the post- World Cup season.


Competitions


Overall record


Premier League


League table


Results summary


Results by matchday


Matches

The league fixtures were announced on 16 June 2022.


FA Cup

City entered the competition in the third round and were drawn at home to Chelsea, making it a rematch of the third round League Cup tie earlier that season. The fourth round draw was held shortly before City's third round tie against Chelsea, with the Blues drawn against the winner of the following day's Oxford United vs
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
tie. In the fifth round, City were drawn away to Bristol City. After their victory, the Cityzens were drawn at home to Burnley in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, the Blues were paired with Sheffield United with a potential derby in the final at stake. City defeated Sheffield 3–0, while
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
overcame
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
on penalties after a goalless draw to set up the first-ever Manchester derby in a major cup final.


EFL Cup

City entered the competition in the third round. The draw was held on 24 August 2022 after the second round fixtures were completed, and they were drawn at home to the previous season's runners-up Chelsea as one of seven all-Premier League ties. The draw for the fourth round was held after the final match of the third round between
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
and
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
on 10 November, by Peter Schmeichel and Dion Dublin. City were drawn at home to the cup holders Liverpool. The tie would be held immediately after the World Cup final, before the resumption of league fixtures. City were handed an away tie at Southampton in the quarter-finals draw, held immediately after their fourth round victory over Liverpool.


FA Community Shield

The traditional season curtain raiser was played between Manchester City and Liverpool, the previous season's league champions and FA Cup winners respectively. Normally held at Wembley Stadium, this season's edition was played at Leicester City's King Power Stadium to avoid clashes with UEFA Women's Euro 2022.


UEFA Champions League


Group stage

The 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw took place in Istanbul, Turkey, on 25 August 2022. The first group matches were played on 6 September, and they wrapped up earlier than usual, at the start of November, to accommodate the mid-season FIFA World Cup.


Knockout phase


=Round of 16

= The draw for the round of 16 was held on 7 November 2022 at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, with Manchester City being drawn against RB Leipzig.


=Quarter-finals

= The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals was held on 17 March 2023. City were drawn against
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
in the quarter-finals, with the winner of that tie playing either
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
or Chelsea in the semi-finals.


=Semi-finals

=


=Final

=


Statistics


Overall

''Appearances () numbers are for appearances in competitive games only, including sub appearances.''
''Red card numbers denote:'' ''numbers in parentheses represent red cards overturned for wrongful dismissal.''
Source for all stats:


Goalscorers

''Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total goals are equal.''


Assists

''Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total assists are equal.''


Disciplinary record

''Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total cards are equal.''


Hat-tricks

4 – Player scored four goals. 5 – Player scored five goals.


Clean sheets

''The list is sorted by shirt number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent matches where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play.''


Awards


Etihad Player of the Year

Awarded by an online vote of supporters on the official Manchester City F.C. website.


UEFA Men's Player of the Year


PFA Players' Player of the Year

Awarded by a vote of PFA members.


Premier League Player of the Season

Awarded by a vote of a shortlist on the Premier League website.


Premier League Young Player of the Season

Awarded by a vote of a shortlist on the Premier League website


FWA Footballer of the Year


UEFA Champions League Player of the Season

Selected by the UEFA technical study group at the end of the tournament.


European Golden Shoe

Awarded to the highest goalscorer of all European top-division national leagues throughout the season.


Premier League Golden Boot


Premier League Playmaker of the Season The Premier League Playmaker of the Season is an annual English football award, presented to the player who has made the most assists (the last pass made before a goal scored) in the Premier League. For sponsorship purposes, it was called the Cad ...


UEFA Men's Coach of the Year


Premier League Manager of the Season

Awarded by a vote of a shortlist on the Premier League website.


LMA Manager of the Year


UEFA Champions League Team of the Season

The UEFA technical study group selected the following City players as part of the team of the tournament.


PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...

Voted for by PFA members.


Premier League Player of the Month

Awarded by a combination of an online public vote on the EA Sports website with those of a panel of football experts.


Etihad Player of the Month

Awarded by an online vote of supporters on the official Manchester City F.C. website.


See also

*
2022–23 in English football The 2022–23 season is the 143rd competitive association football season in England. The season began in July 2022 due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place from 20 November to 18 December 2022, the first time that an entire football season c ...
*
List of Manchester City F.C. seasons Manchester City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Manchester, that currently plays in the Premier League. The following list covers the period from 1891 (when the club, then known as ''Ardwick'', joined t ...


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2022-23 Manchester City F.C. Season
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
Manchester City, 2022–23