City’s unbeaten run surprisingly at the hands of Brighton with the final score line of 2:1 at the Amex Stadium. The held, favourable towards the other team of bright seagulls, the men of Guardiola surprising were there above that impressed all in the first half-came essentially from the tackles. While City controlled most of the possession and created all. However, they turned out to be one of the first who squandered. Quite the reverse, credit to De Zerbi.
Somehow or thelmbd verge of that réalisée shockingly and therefore far away from their minds during the day it felt so set for the match to escape City fans. However, another historic and confidence-boosting victory further installed Brighton as a side able to upset the Premier League’s major opponents. Let us walk you through this dramatic match and discover how City missed the chance to maintain a perfect streak.
For the first half
Manchester City enjoyed dominating possession, as is the tendency with Pep Guardiola’s style. The visitors had in excess of 70% of the possession to exhibit their continuous intricacy in passing and positional play in the first 45 minutes. The most notable effect of City’s midfield raki brought forward by Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri, and Bernardo Silva to the show was seen during the first half. An added creativity was given to the seagulls by Jack Grealish, whose enhancement stretched Brighton’s defence. Phil Foden’s pace posed threats to the defence on the right-hand side; up front, the usual focal point Erling Haaland looked for spaces behind Brighton’s defensive line. Lnstead of City, it was Brighton who mustered the first breakthrough. Their very in different show was their very tight and well-organized stylish defense, thrusting onto City high up the pitch to probably meet with their build-up phase. Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster combined to do the job well in circles. Similarly, their fullbacks, Pervius EstupIlian and Joel Veltman, managed to showcase discipline in their duties as defenders. Jack Grealish and Phil Foden were able to open the ball for City’s attacking quality.
This time, the most convincing opportunity for Haaland came in the 20th minute when a perfect cross from De Bruyne found him in the box. The Norwegian striker could not get a clean contact onto the ball, as Brighton’s keeper Robert Sanchez made a comfortable save. But slowly but surely, the visitors are in control.
The wake of City shrugging by suspension proved itself as artillery was fired to break deadlock. Come the 34th minute, and after a slick series of passing, De Bruyne timed his through ball to Haaland with vast precision, who finished past Sanchez to give City the lead he so surely deserved. The goal suited Haaland’s single-mindedness finish that shaped his game this season. If looked at differently, City were beginning to glide in one of their famous walks. Affluence had seemed to protect their bright start in this campaign convincingly.
However, although City had taken the lead, they once more failed to finish the game off in the first half. Even if Brighton was lacking in the attacking approach, their determination saw their spirit grow as the half drew on. Tricky City were interrupted at times as their gliding and much more tight defense position flustered their gameplay, and quite a few unintended errors were made.
Second half: Brighton come alive
Brighton starco came out firing on all cylinders in half two. His tactical genius Roberto De Zerbi made some crucial adjustments at halftime. Brighton ticketed more ‘up’; higher in the pitch and with more support up n\’ forward. The Seagulls stuck to the plan of shutting down the City playmakers eagerly, and the visitors struggled to pick up the same momentum they had built in the first half.
Plucky as they are, Brighton, thanks to a surge of energy, took less than three minutes to equalize. The goal came in the 55th minute-a fantastic counterattack resembling lightning speed from the fading glimmer of the sunset sky. Leandro Trossard peeled from yard to yard to play a perfect ball over the top of City’s anxious defense. Danny Welbeck latched on and with consummate ease slotted past Ederson, making it 1-1.
This wake-up call gave a boost to City. Digging deep for the equalizer, a burst of confidence helped Brighton completely take charging of the game in the next 15 minutes. The effectiveness of De Zerbi’s tactics was slowly showing, where, as it seemed, Brighton’s high press and quick transitions were making life difficult for City to regain possession and create chances. Welbeck and Trossard were starting to give City a fit for their money, and those in blue were looking shakier by the minute.
hen came the irreversible blow in minute 80. With an eye set on a jackpot-the three points-Brighton earned themselves a corner. It was taken shortly into the box as a lapse in clearance from City defenders allowed Trossard to grab onto the half-baked pieces. The ball considerably deflected off of a City defender and went in-all stunningly-and Brighton took a seriously unexpected lead of 2-1.The combination of persistence and luck did see that Brighton really deserved to be in front, particularly in the second half.
What Went Wrong for Manchester City?
First of all, despite a halftime lead and some decent possession statistics, Manchester City found themselves unable to really see a win from the game. And there were some sterling problems exposed in their collapse in the second half:
Defensive Lapses: Often patient in defence under Guardiola, City’s back line was sure to be found wanting on a few occasions, and it simply was not good enough. They let down a long ball over their defence through waters muddled by sleep, with the equalizer coming from there. The two that failed to call the pace of an onrushing Welbeck and Trossard into questioning while many had relied upon him in the first half-Ruben Dias and John Stones-therefore committed both Brighton goal,
Clinical Finishing: City had several opportunities to extend their lead in the first half, and they would pay for such wastefulness. The could-have-been goals encapsulated in Haaland’s header that went off target might have doubled the lead. If they could have nailed the game shut in the first half, it would have been 2-0 before any response could come from Brighton. If you don’t put the other team away in football, you’re going to be made to pay for it-a classic lesson learned here.
Brilliant Tactical Change by Brighton: Credit must be given to Roberto De Zerbi for the tactical imaginative changes that he introduced for the second half. Brighton pressed higher up the pitch to make mistakes that disrupted City’s flow. Combined with more off-the-ball runners, which further made it difficult for City’s midfielders to control, this adaptability and resilience being showcased was pivotal in getting them back into the game.Sitting in stunned shock, City found themselves dazed at equalizing by Brighton, leading to their own disintegration in restoring the control they had before. Devoid of leadership on-the-pitch to steady themselves, the team failed to meet the challenges of set-play or regain the braves-halted pace. Players like De Bruyne and Haaland gave it a go, but were terribly isolated, and withered with their teammates, couldn’t pass the few hurdles that held them securely in their half.
Performance by Brighton
For Brighton, it was one heck of a victory, by far one of their best results in recent history. Roberto De Zerbi had it just right-there was patience, composure, and opportunities taken. Wiggly Brighton were besieged during the opening half but never lost heart and saw the fruit of their labor ripen in the second half.Assists and excellent play saw Leandro Trossard as the most potent threat in defensive disarray for City. Danny Welbeck also played his part for the equalizer and was crowned with running dangers away from the ball. The resurgence from Brighton against a stylish Manchester City side showed just how good this team could be under De Zerbi.
Conclusion
Manchester City lost 1-2 to Brighton, in one of the shock results to many taking into account the first-half performance of City. The match itself served as a reminder that even the best can lose it in that one moment when they need to take advantage or concentrate all through the 90 minutes. A statement victory for Brighton, it showed that they can compete with the elite. For Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, this defeat will surely serve as a learning curve. A perennial contest in the Premier League title race thus ensures that they will remain focused and clinical in order to stay atop. For Brighton, however, it is a great confidence boost as they ESL will keep growing under De Zerbi’s stewardship, proving that they can hold their own against the big teams and make rallying noise in the Premier League.