Manchester City defeated Brighton 2-1 to return to winning ways at the Etihad Stadium. The defending Premier League winners had dropped their previous two matches against Wolves and Arsenal, but goals from Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland in the first half earned Pep Guardiola’s team the victory despite the Seagulls’ Ansu Fati’s late-game comeback.
Manchester City defeated Brighton 2-1 at the Etihad in a hard-fought match, with Erling Haaland scoring his tenth Premier League goal of the year.
After Julian Alvarez had converted Jeremy Doku’s cutback for a well-deserved City opener 12 minutes earlier, the prolific Norwegian striker scored an astonishing 45th goal in 44 league matches with 19 minutes remaining.
Pep Guardiola will be pleased with his team for averting a third straight league loss in the midst of another magnificent performance by Phil Foden after losing 2-1 at Wolves and 1-0 at Arsenal in league play before the international break.
Ansu Fati, a substitute, finished off a skillful counterattacking move on 73 minutes to give Roberto De Zerbi’s struggling Brighton team new hope of an unlikely point. The first half was sobering for the team, which has conceded 18 goals in nine league games.
The sight of Solly March being carried off in pain in his final moments following an unfortunate tumble on the ground alarmed Brighton even more. In extra time, Manuel Akanji was harshly dismissed from City after receiving a second yellow card, but they managed to finish the game and secure a crucial three points.
Prior to Saturday night’s match between London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, the host team reclaimed first place in the Premier League standings.