Brighton staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Manchester City 2-1 at Falmer Stadium in Brighton and Hove, England, on Saturday. The loss marks the defending Premier League champions’ first four-game losing streak in all competitions since August 2006.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring for City in the 23rd minute and came close on several occasions during a dominant first half where City registered five shots on target. However, Brighton emerged revitalized in the second half. Substitutes Joao Pedro and Premier League debutant Matt O’Riley found the net, securing a stunning victory over a sluggish City side.
Manchester City’s recent form has been troubling. Prior to this defeat, they were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup, suffered a league loss to Bournemouth, and endured a 4-1 thrashing by Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday—a result that left midfielder Bernardo Silva admitting the team is in a “dark place.” This string of losses is unprecedented for manager Pep Guardiola, who has never before witnessed his club lose four consecutive games. City now trails league leaders Liverpool by five points after “The Reds” secured a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield.
The champions have been hampered by a series of injuries. Key players Nathan Ake, John Stones, Jack Grealish, and Ruben Dias were all sidelined against Brighton, joining long-term absentees Rodri and Oscar Bobb on the injured list.
“Of course, it’s November, we are not far away (from rival teams) in this position before the international break,” Guardiola said. “The key to winning games is the people coming back fit, being able to play, to train, and then improve our results.”
“We need to clear our heads, go into the international break, and have players come back fit,” he added. “The success we’ve had in past seasons was because we had fewer injuries. I would like the players to be consistent and be able to play at the level we played in the first half.”
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Manchester City upset by Brighton, suffer fourth straight loss
cgtn.com
