Brajan Gruda scored the decisive goal in the final minutes, helping Brighton create a spectacular comeback and defeat Manchester City 2-1 in a dramatic victory at Amex Stadium.
The German midfielder kept calm and finished in the 89th minute. Before that, James Milner successfully converted a penalty against his former team, thereby becoming the second oldest player to score in Premier League history.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring for Man City in his 100th Premier League appearance, but he also missed many more opportunities to increase the gap.
This defeat caused Pep Guardiola's team to suffer their second consecutive loss, after stumbling 0-2 against Tottenham last weekend. Meanwhile, Brighton burst into tears with their first win of the season.
"We played excellently in the first hour. The whole team has shown many things that impress me, so I have no complaints.
But in the end, we couldn't win the game. And after the goal, we changed. Man City seemed to forget how to play football. Instead, we think more about the consequences. And that's why we couldn't win the game," Guardiola said after the game.
Rodri made his first Premier League start in nearly a year, as part of Man City's four changes against Tottenham. On the other hand, Brighton made 3 adjustments compared to the 0-2 defeat to Everton last weekend.
Guardiola's side entered the first half with a tight game, while Haaland missed three consecutive chances. The Norwegian striker finished too lightly at goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen after only 9 minutes, then shot wide of the post and headed the ball close to the goal but was blocked.
In between those two situations, Brighton also created a dangerous opportunity when Kaoru Mitoma's low shot forced goalkeeper James Trafford to show his save.
Finally, Haaland found his scoring touch in the 34th minute, giving Man City an advantage.
After Yankuba Minteh was robbed by Rayan Ait-Nouri, Oscar Bobb quickly moved the ball into Brighton's half. Then, Omar Marmoush passed Jan Paul van Hecke and passed Lewis Dunk's legs, creating conditions for Haaland to run in and shoot delicately, sending the ball over goalkeeper Verbruggen's head.
Brighton did not create many attacking opportunities and almost doubled the gap after an hour of play. Especially the situation where Bobb covered the ice at full speed, threatening to take advantage of Marmoush's cross from the left wing.
Coach Fabian Hurzeler immediately reacted to 4 substitutions, including the appearance of Milner and Gruda. And they themselves created the turning point for the match.
In the 67th minute, Brighton was awarded a penalty after Dunk's powerful volley from Yasin Ayari's free kick hit Matheus Nunes' raised arm. On the 11m mark, Milner - at the age of 39 and 239 days - coolly kicked the ball into the Man City net. He became the third Brighton player to successfully take a penalty in consecutive matches.
The veteran midfielder - who most recently scored in Liverpool's 4-0 win over Leicester on Boxing Day 2019 - expressed his gratitude to former teammate Diogo Jota with a meaningful celebration.
In Premier League history, only Teddy Sheringham (40 years and 268 days) is an older player than Milner has scored.
After the equalizer, Brighton quickly took control of the game. The Trafford goalkeeper made an excellent save from Van Hecke's close-range shot in the 88th minute, but was helpless just a few minutes later against Gruda.
The German midfielder - author of a double in Brighton's 6-0 win over Oxford in the Carabao Cup in midweek - this time came down from Mitoma's cross. After that, he calmly passed Trafford and put the ball into an empty net, sealing a dramatic comeback.
"Man City have changed a lot and are in a really good squad. However, it will take time for the new players to adapt. This is completely normal. I am satisfied with what we are doing. When everything is done, everyone will see the true strength of The Citizens" - Guardiola added.
