Manchester City suffered their fourth consecutive defeat on Saturday evening, falling 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
An early strike from Erling Haaland was canceled out by two quick-fire goals from Brighton, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side with more problems in their bid to secure a fifth consecutive Premier League title. The result handed a boost to Arne Slot’s Liverpool at the top of the table.
City’s hopes of a comeback were dashed before they could even gain a foothold in the game.
Get Instantly Update By: Joining Our Whatapps and Telegram Channel
How the Game Unfolded
Guardiola’s side dominated possession from the start, determined to bounce back from recent losses to Sporting CP and Bournemouth. Brighton, unbeaten at home in the Premier League, were resolute in defense, hoping to derail City’s title charge.
The first major chance of the game fell to Brighton’s Savinho, who raced down the right but was thwarted by a superb save from City goalkeeper Ederson. That moment of relief for the Seagulls was short-lived, as City took the lead just seven minutes later.
Erling Haaland was the man to break the deadlock, charging at the Brighton goal and firing a shot that goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen couldn’t keep out. City’s counter-attacks continued to pose problems for the hosts, easily carving through Brighton’s defense, but the Seagulls went into the break still looking for an equalizer.
Brighton nearly found that equalizer in the first half when Kaoru Mitoma set up Danny Welbeck for a shot, but the striker’s effort was off target.
Brighton’s Late Fightback
After the break, Brighton came out with renewed vigor, pushing forward in search of a goal. Their persistence paid off in the 78th minute when Joao Pedro latched onto a loose ball inside the box, firing it past Ederson to level the score at 1-1. The goal came after City struggled to clear the ball from their own area, allowing Pedro to capitalize on the scrappy situation.
Moments later, Brighton completed the turnaround. Pedro turned provider, setting up Matthew O’Riley for a simple finish after a run through the heart of City’s defense, making it 2-1.
Despite nine minutes of injury time, Brighton held on to claim a deserved victory, leaving Guardiola’s men with more questions than answers following another disappointing trip to the south coast.