Man City 2-1 Brighton: Goals from Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez ensure champions return to winning ways as they hold firm despite Ansu Fati pulling a goal back
Manchester City bounced back with a 2-1 triumph over Brighton, as Alvarez and Haaland put the hosts in the lead before Fati pulled one back. The match marked the return of City’s winning form, but it also brought attention to the speculation surrounding Roberto De Zerbi, who is heavily tipped to succeed Pep Guardiola as the club’s manager in the future. Guardiola, in a lighthearted moment, joked about becoming De Zerbi’s agent, emphasizing the respect and friendship he holds for the Italian coach.
De Zerbi has made a significant impact since joining Brighton at the beginning of last season, with his brave and bold approach to the game. His ability to dictate play and shape his team’s body positioning has been particularly impressive. Guardiola admires these qualities and openly acknowledges his admiration for De Zerbi, which is a rare occurrence when it comes to discussing colleagues in the competitive world of football management.
However, De Zerbi made a tactical error in the match against City by deploying James Milner, who is now 37 years old, as a right back. Milner was tasked with marking Jeremy Doku, a young and dynamic player who has been thriving since his big summer move. City supporters took delight in seeing Milner struggle to keep up with Doku’s pace, as they still harbor some resentment towards him for his departure in 2015. This tactical decision provided some comfort to the City faithful and highlighted a potential weakness in Brighton’s setup.
Overall, Brighton’s performance was commendable, and they have the potential to challenge for a top-four finish this season, unless their involvement in European competitions becomes a hindrance. However, De Zerbi’s choice of deploying Milner against Doku proved to be a misstep that City supporters relished.
Man City defeated Brighton 2-1 after a solid display at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon
Julian Alvarez put City 1-0 up with a scuffed finish after some fine work from Jeremy Doku
Erling Haaland made it 2-0 shortly after with a superb effort from outside the penalty area
MATCH FACTS
Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Ortega 7; Walker 7, Stones 7 (Dias 74, 6.5), Akanji 5.5, Gvardiol 7; Rodri 7; Silva 7, Alvarez 7.5 (Ake 90), Foden 7.5, Doku 8 (Grealish 75); Haaland 7.5
Subs not used: Ederson, Phillips, Kovacic, Gomez, Nunes, Lewis
Brighton (4-2-3-1): Steele 6.5; Milner 4.5 (Veltman 46, 6.5), Dunk 6.5, Julio 6, March 6 (Van Hecke 90); Baleba 5 (Gilmour 66, 6), Gross 6; Adingra 6.5, Welbeck 6 (Ferguson 16, 6.5), Mitoma 7.5; Pedro 6 (Fati 65, 7.5)
Subs not used: Verbuggen, Webster, Dahoud, Lallana
Referee: Robert Jones 5
Brighton’s decision to field James Milner as a right back may have cost them valuable points in the match, if not more. It wasn’t solely because they found themselves two goals down by the time Milner was replaced by Veltman at halftime. Rather, the burden of compensating for the mismatch between Milner and his opponent took a toll on Brighton’s performance, rendering them ineffective in the first half.
As the game entered a relentless final 15 minutes and Manuel Akanji received a second yellow card, Brighton could have potentially been chasing a victory instead of an equalizer. The situation was further compounded by the unfortunate knee injury suffered by Solly March, who had to be substituted, and an earlier injury to Danny Welbeck. De Zerbi expressed his concern, stating, “It’s the worst news. This season is different; we’re losing too many players.”
Despite Brighton’s late surge, City managed to hold on and secure a much-needed victory, ending a winless streak of three matches. The return of Rodri coincided with the relative crisis being averted. Guardiola acknowledged the challenge of controlling the game against Brighton, saying, “I’m surprised we managed to do it for an hour.”
City’s task was made easier by taking the lead within seven minutes. Pascal Gross attempted to assist Milner, recognizing the urgent need for support, but even his efforts couldn’t halt the progress of Doku. The Belgian winger skillfully evaded Gross, exposing Brighton’s defensive vulnerabilities. Julian Alvarez seized the cut-back pass, shifting the ball from his left foot to his right before lofting it over Jason Steele, putting City in the lead and setting the tone for the remainder of the game.
Haaland celebrated after ending a rare goal drought of three games in all competitions
Doku was electric and Brighton were unable to cope with the Belgian winger in the first half
Brighton forward Danny Welbeck was forced off injured in another blow to the Seagulls
The major talking point before the match wasn’t actually the inclusion of James Milner, but rather Pep Guardiola’s decision regarding the goalkeeper position. Ederson, who had played for Brazil against Uruguay just the previous night, was left on the bench in favor of Stefan Ortega. It is likely that Guardiola considered the travel involved in Ederson’s international duty when making this choice. However, it is worth noting that Julian Alvarez had also played 78 minutes for Argentina in Peru on the same day.
Ortega is a capable backup and has aspirations of becoming the team’s number one goalkeeper in the future. While Ederson’s exceptional distribution skills set him apart from most other goalkeepers in Europe, Ortega showed no signs of struggling in that department either. He displayed composure when moving across his goal line under pressure and effortlessly passed the ball through the lines as if he were the first-choice goalkeeper.
However, there were some blemishes in Ortega’s performance. At 2-0, he lazily floated a pass out to the left, which was easily intercepted by the opposition. Fortunately for Brighton, Pascal Gross failed to convert the opportunity when through on goal. De Zerbi, Brighton’s manager, expressed his frustration towards his bench at this moment.
Similar frustration arose in the 18th minute when Erling Haaland scored the second goal for Manchester City. Brighton made a basic error during a throw-in, with Carlos Baleba being dispossessed and Haaland capitalizing on the mistake. Known primarily as a lethal finisher inside the box, Haaland surprised everyone by unleashing a powerful 20-yard strike that caught Jason Steele off guard. It was a reminder of his impressive spell at Borussia Dortmund.
The game saw another match-up between Roberto De Zerbi and Pep Guardiola with the Spaniard a huge fan of the Brighton boss
Brighton were improved in the second half and pulled a goal back through Ansu Fati
The focus remained on Doku though, Guardiola agitated whenever City went right instead of left. Milner somehow escaped a booking. Brighton couldn’t cope on that side until Veltman entered.
And were then more threatening, with Kaoru Mitoma’s influence growing. The Japan international sent warnings with various long, raking dribbles that took several defenders with him long before he manufactured substitute Ansu Fati’s goal with 17 minutes left. Ortega had already flown out to deny Mitoma before the winger somehow headed into the side-netting from a corner. One of those moments when the entire away end went up in celebration, then disbelieving at the outcome.
City were hurrying clearances, Akanji booked for hauling down Fati as Brighton broke through midfield menacingly, yet didn’t offer up too many other chances.
‘We played shy,’ De Zerbi said. ‘I want personality. Lose the game, yes, but I want personality. In the second half we were better. We played with more energy and kept more order, especially without the ball.’
Rodri returned to the starting line-up after a three-match suspension in a huge boost for City
Brighton almost took a point from the game but City held firm for their first win in three games