Two Takeaways from Brighton’s brilliant win over Manchester City
Brighton and Hove Albion stunned Manchester City 2-1 at the Amex, with midfielder Brajan Gruda striking a dramatic late winner after rounding the keeper and finishing coolly to seal a memorable victory for the Seagulls.
Erling Haaland had earlier opened the scoring in a cagey first half, finishing from close range after Omar Marmoush capitalised on a loose ball and slipped him through inside the box.
Brighton came out firing after the break and drew level when James Milner, against his former club, converted from the penalty spot for his first Premier League goal since Boxing Day 2019.
City's back-to-back defeats and Brighton's first league win of the season set the stage for plenty of talking points. Here are two things we learned.
City's lack of attacking creativity
Since their emphatic 4-0 win over Wolves on the opening day, Manchester City's attacking spark has noticeably faded. Pep Guardiola's side did take the lead in the 34th minute at the Amex when Erling Haaland finished from close range after Omar Marmoush pounced on a loose ball in the box.
It was hardly a trademark City goal, but it gave them a narrow advantage going into half-time after an uneventful first half. The hosts, however, came out with renewed energy after the break and soon pushed the champions back before deservedly equalising midway through the second half.
By the closing stages Brighton looked far more likely to snatch a winner, and they did just that when Brajan Gruda rounded James Trafford and calmly rolled the ball into an empty net to seal a memorable win.
Despite recording 12 attempts, City managed only three on target and rarely troubled Bart Verbruggen. Aside from his goal, Haaland produced their only other real chance when his back-post header was saved early on.
Guardiola's squad has been bolstered this summer with the arrivals of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Aït-Nouri, adding to the attacking options of Marmoush, Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden. Yet, for all their talent, City are struggling to break down organised defences and create clear-cut chances. Against Tottenham they drew a blank in a 2-0 defeat, and here they relied on a defensive lapse from Brighton for their only goal.
Seagull's Super Subs.
After an uninspiring first half, Brighton went into the break trailing Manchester City. Many fans inside the Amex expected Fabian Hürzeler to change things immediately, but the same eleven re-emerged for the second half. The game continued in the same flat pattern until, on the hour mark, Brighton rolled the dice with a quadruple substitution as James Milner, Yasin Ayari, Georginio Rutter and Brajan Gruda all came on.
The impact was instant. With fresh legs, Brighton's attack began to spark into life. Yankuba Minteh, now supported down the right, repeatedly stretched Rayan Aït-Nouri and Abdukodir Khusanov, forcing both defenders into yellow cards as Brighton relentlessly targeted that flank.
Their pressure soon paid off when Matheus Nunes was penalised for handball in the box. Up stepped Milner, who coolly converted against his former club to register his first Premier League goal since Boxing Day 2019 and bring the Seagulls level.
With Ayari steadying midfield and Rutter adding another threat in the final third, Brighton began to dominate. Kaoru Mitoma had a shot blocked, Rutter saw an effort saved by James Trafford, and eventually the breakthrough came. In the 89th minute Mitoma split City's defence with a clever pass and Gruda showed composure beyond his years, rounding Trafford and slotting into an empty net to complete the comeback.
Both Milner and Gruda, straight off the bench, scored the goals that transformed the contest. Hürzeler, sometimes criticised for his in-game management, got his substitutions spot on here. They changed the momentum, lifted the crowd, and ultimately delivered Brighton's first league win of the season.