Manchester City slipped to their second defeat in three Premier League matches after Brighton came from behind to claim a dramatic 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium.
Erling Haaland looked to have set Pep Guardiola’s side on course for victory when he struck his 88th league goal in just his 100th appearance, but City unravelled in the second half as Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler’s quadruple substitution swung the contest.
Back-to-back comebacks for Brighton at the Amex against Man City
Rodri, making his first league start since recovering from an ACL injury, had dominated early on but faded after the hour mark, with City punished for lapses in concentration.
Veteran midfielder James Milner, 39, levelled from the spot against his former club after Matheus Nunes was penalised for handball, and with just a minute left Kaoru Mitoma released substitute Brajan Gruda, who calmly rounded James Trafford to score the winner.
Trafford, retained in goal despite his error against Tottenham last weekend, had earlier kept City in the game with fine stops from Yankuba Minteh and Jan Paul van Hecke, but was left helpless as Brighton snatched victory.
Afterwards, Rodri admitted City are far from their best:
“Some of the mistakes we are doing are kids’ mistakes. You are not concentrating and paying attention. The reality is that we have to raise the level if we want to compete.”
Guardiola was frustrated with his side’s collapse but urged patience with his reshaped squad:
“We had a good hour but the last half an hour we were not good enough. We changed many things and new players need to adapt, but I like many things we are doing.”
For Hurzeler, it was a tactical and psychological triumph:
“Football is sometimes about energy. We didn’t believe in ourselves at first so I made four changes, and the players brought that energy to win the game.”
Milner, who marked his 650th Premier League appearance with a goal, dedicated his penalty celebration to former Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, whose shirt number he now wears.
The defeat leaves City off the pace in the title race and facing questions over their early-season form, while Brighton continue to show resilience under Hurzeler, taking a major scalp in front of a jubilant home crowd.
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