Brighton 2-1 Man City: Cityzens fall to fourth successive defeat
Brighton 2-1 Man City: Cityzens fall to fourth successive defeat. Manchester City have become a shadow of themselves lately as they suffered their fourth defeat in a row, when they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening.
An early effort from Erling Haaland was not enough to see the Cityzens break their defeat jinx, as it was soon nullified by two further Brighton strikes to secure their fate at the Amex.
Pep Guardiola‘s side faced yet another setback in their journey to claim their fifth-successive Premier League title, handing a lifeline to Arne Slot’s Liverpool at the top of the summit.
It was all over before City were able to claw any chance of a victory back.
How the game unfolded;
Pep Guardiola’s side controlled possession from the offset as they looked to bounce back from back-to-back defeats against Sporting CP and Bournemouth. Brighton, unbeaten in the Premier League at home, put up a tough fight as they looked to clamp down City’s title hopes.
The first big chance of the evening however came for young winger Savinho who slid in on the right but failed to beat Bart Verbruggen between the sticks. A great save from the goalkeeper was just a momentary celebration for the Seagulls, who conceded just seven minutes later.
It was Erling Haaland who took the glory for City’s opening strike. The Norwegian flew towards the Brighton goal with absolute intent, firing a shot towards Verbruggen, who’s touch was not enough to stop the strike from going in.
City’s ability to push on the counter proved dangerous for Brighton, splitting up the hosts’ defence with ease. Heading into the break, Kaoru Mitoma attempted to set Danny Welbeck up for a shot on target. The striker played a great ball, but was unable to finish his effort – leaving Brighton searching for an equaliser.
When play resumed, the hosts continued to push. They attempted to break down City but were met with disappointment as Brighton’s backline struggled to fend off their attacking talents.
However, their lifeline finally came in the 78th minute as Joao Pedro grabbed the ball inside the box and fired it into the net from close range. A scrappy affair saw City struggle to clear the initial attempt away from their box, leaving Pedro to finish the effort and equalise the scoreline.
Pedro’s strike opened up the floodgates – with Brighton earning a second just moments later. The goalscorer added an assist to his CV after setting up a clear shot for Matthew O’Riley. The Dane strolled through City’s backline before tapping an effort in, making it 2-1.
Brighton clung on to their deserved lead through nine minutes of injury time, leaving Guardiola’s men disappointed from yet another trip to the south coast.
