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CSKA Moscow 2-2 Manchester City: Jamie Redknapp fears for Premier League champions

Draw leaves 'complacent' City set to exit competition 'with a whimper'

Sergio Aguero celebrates after putting Man City a goal to the good at CSKA Moscow
Image: Aguero: first-half goal in vain as CSKA battled back

Jamie Redknapp fears Manchester City could crash out of the Champions League “with a whimper” after they let victory slip from their grasp in Moscow.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side looked on course to secure their first win of this season’s European campaign when first-half goals from Sergio Aguero and James Milner put them in command against CSKA, only to be denied by Seydou Doumbia and a controversial late penalty from Bibras Natkho.

Sky Sports pundit Redknapp was staggered to see City manage only one shot on target in the second half of the game and they now trail Bayern Munich by seven points and Roma by two points in the race for qualification.

More from Cska Moscow V Man City

“It was amazing to see,” he told Sky Sports.

“If I'm a Man City fan sitting at home I'm thinking 'how can our team perform like that in the first half, and in the second half be a completely different side?' It was amazing to see.

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James Milner scored for City - but they were pegged back after the break

“This is the Champions League. This, for Manchester City, should be everything, but at the moment they look like they could go out.

“If the results go the wrong way for them, that could be the last time we see them this year - they could be out in the group stages.

“It shouldn't have been like that. This game should have been long gone, they should have seen the game out.

“It's so frustrating for everybody. At the moment it looks like they're going to go out, but not just go out, but go out with a whimper and that's not what anybody wants to see.”

Pellegrini swapped David Silva for Fernandinho in an attempt to tighten the game up in the closing stages, but Redknapp felt the switch backfired badly.

And he felt the players showed a poor attitude after the break, particularly in the middle of the park.

Redknapp added: “We were talking about it at half-time; get three or four goals, take off Aguero, save him for the weekend, but instead it was just complacency.

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Manuel Pellegrini refused to accept his side are outside bets for qualification

“It was a complete attitude shift in the second half. The manager will probably get criticised for it but he brought on Fernandinho to try and stem the tide, but instead of him being the person who was going to break the play up, he actually made them worse.

“He never went and pressed - they almost felt that because they had safety in numbers that was enough.

“I think the first goal epitomised everything that's wrong about City at times when there’s nobody in midfield going to press the ball.”

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