Manchester City under Pep Guardiola was once an almost invincible machine. But now it's different. They could no longer maintain that momentum and once again proved that with the loss to Brighton. The Citizens dropped the advantage in the last minute after a lackluster and lively performance.
Even Rodri's return could not turn the situation around. Having made his Premier League debut since September 2024 (against Arsenal), the Spaniard is expected to revive Man City after the defeat to Tottenham.
However, Guardiola's side collapsed at the end of the match, while Rodri's record of 49 consecutive unbeaten matches in the tournament (39 wins, 10 draws) also ended.
"Over the past 35 years, no team has changed as constantly as we have. This season, and last season, we have made a lot of adjustments.
The current foundation is still very solid, and the new recruits are also really excellent. The problem is just how to get everyone together, find the rhythm and start winning. I believe it will happen soon" - Guardiola said after the loss to Brighton.
Brighton did not create many opportunities, while The Citizens, despite playing underwhelmingly, still had a large advantage. The first half was boring, except for one name: Erling Haaland.
Brighton only had one long-range shot with 0.04 xG, while Haaland had five, while the entire rest of Man City only had two shots.
The Norwegian striker is still a dangerous spearhead, despite many times being absent-minded on the pitch. He challenged goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from the start of the match, headed the ball forcing the opponent to show off his talent and had a few more shots off the goal.
When he opened the scoring in the 34th minute, it was Haaland's sixth touch in the match - the previous five were all shots, 3 of which were on target.
Notably, in his 100th Premier League appearance, Haaland has scored 88 goals - at least nine more than any other player in his first 100 games. The most recent person to have Haaland on the list, Alan Shearer, has scored 79 goals.
Man City seemed to have controlled the game, but Brighton surprisingly found a chance to flip around in the middle of the second half thanks to a penalty after Matheus Nunes had the ball on his hand.
The perpetrator is James Milner - 39 years and 239 days old, who came off the bench in his 25th Premier League season. The cool shot not only brought Brighton back to the match but also helped Milner go down in history. He became the second-oldest scorer in the Premier League, surpassing Dean Windass but still behind Teddy Sheringham's record.
This was also Milner's first goal for Brighton, making him the 11th player to score for 6 different clubs in the tournament (Leeds, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Man City, Liverpool and Brighton) - only behind cra cra cra Bellamy (7).
After Brighton's equalizer, the game reversed. The Etihad team was forced into a passive position, while Brighton was full of spirit. And they created a decisive moment when Brajan Gruda penetrated the visitors' defense to seal the victory.
In the final minutes, Brighton not only scored the first goal from the ball live this season, but also created a valuable boost in spirit for the road ahead.
"Football is not always about tactics. Sometimes it depends on the energy and unity you have. We showed in the second half that we had that intensity and energy. Just like that, you can win.
At that time, we really didn't believe in ourselves and didn't feel like we were in a game. The players must perform well on the pitch and all 4 changes today have completed their tasks excellently. I am grateful to all the players" - Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler said.
