Man City 3-0 Brighton: City come back with six games left

Manchester City overtook Liverpool to return to the top of the Premier League thanks to three second-half goals against Brighton.

De Bruyne created the opening goal for Riyad Mahrez and made a lackluster final pass for Bernardo Silva to score after eight minutes of play.

In midfield, Phil Foden needed the assist of a clearance to beat the Brighton keeper after Mahrez spotted the Englishman in a tight corner outside the box.

The goals eased growing tension around the Etihad Stadium and made City know that six more wins are now essential for Pep Guardiola’s men to keep their title, start start with a home game against relegation-threatened Watford on Saturday.

De Bruyne the difference

De Bruyne was not on the scoresheet but the standing ovation he received when he was replaced by Gabriel Jesus shortly after Bernardo’s goal said all about the Belgian’s contribution.

With frustration welling up in the stands, De Bruyne was in live action eight minutes into the restart.

He started his run from within and his determination to make an impact meant he kept going as twice he could have easily stopped to take free-kicks.

Instead, he kept his footing and shrugged for a third challenge before passing the ball to Mahrez. The Algerian has benefited from a few lucky shots, the first of which was given a chance for him to shoot before the second shot past Robert Sanchez.

This is the 250th match for the Algerian player in the Premier League and he helped coach Guardiola to his 250th victory as Man City manager.

After Foden doubled the lead for the home side, De Bruyne was again the key factor as Bernardo scored the third, deftly catching the ball after Oleksandr Zinchenko’s pass after the Ukrainian – earlier received warmly in the match. their second home appearance since Russia invaded their homeland – took advantage of Brighton’s hesitation in their half.

Following his injury in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid, Guardiola will want to keep De Bruyne as safe as possible for the rest of the campaign.

The same, perhaps, is also true of centre-back Ruben Dias, who was brought on at half-time after a seven-week absence with a hamstring injury and appears to have avoided fears of a relapse from the bench. reserve.

Dogged Brighton’s plan is finally done

Brighton’s lousy record against Man City, eight defeats in nine Premier League meetings and no away win in their entire history, hardly provides any reason for a rivalry. optimistic.

However, with recent superb wins against Tottenham and Arsenal, Potter has shown what a team can do with a game map that players are willing to adhere to.

A three-man defense led by Lewis Dunk with his usual authority, reinforced by three others up front, with limited space in between for Man City’s talented players to show off their skills. their.

True, attacking opportunities are rare – the closest they came in the first half was a game that came under pressure as Pascal Gross’ corner hit a dangerous six yards, where Aymeric Laporte was. clearance.

But their efforts are another remarkable achievement for Potter, who has led Brighton closer to their highest-ever finish.

Sadly for the visitors, they were only able to repel Man City for eight minutes of the second half and after that, it was a familiar story.

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