Manchester City slumped to their fourth straight defeat under Pep Guardiola, 2-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium. The visitors were off to a bright start, keen to avoid back-to-back Premier League defeats for only the fourth time in Guardiola’s managerial career, and Erling Haaland’s strike midway through the opening period appeared to put City on their way, with the Norwegian being kept further at bay only by heroics from Bart Verbruggen.
Still, Brighton pulled into gear just before the break, with Kaoru Mitoma’s run almost presenting Danny Welbeck with an equalizer. The second half was a different story as the Seagulls began to press forward. A header from Jack Hinshelwood and a close-range strike from Joao Pedro almost produced the leveller, but it was Pedro who finally breached City’s resistance in the 78th minute.
Minutes later, Pedro played in Matt O’Riley, who scored on his Premier League debut to seal Brighton’s comeback and send them into the top four. The late introductions of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne could not inspire a lacklustre City, who failed to manage a shot on target in the second half, and now see Guardiola’s team susceptible to early title-race pressure – five points behind Liverpool come the weekend’s close.
