Manchester City’s struggles continued as they suffered a fourth consecutive defeat, this time falling 2-1 to Brighton at the Amex Stadium, which allowed Liverpool to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League. Liverpool, who had a 2-0 win over Aston Villa earlier in the day, now sit five points clear of City.
City, who had been dominant in the league for the past few years, had not experienced a run of defeats like this in nearly a year. Their poor form started with a surprising loss to Bournemouth last weekend, followed by a League Cup exit to Tottenham and a 4-1 thrashing by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League. This latest defeat marks the first time in Pep Guardiola’s illustrious managerial career that he has lost four matches in a row.
Despite a positive first half where Erling Haaland gave City a 1-0 lead, things unraveled for Guardiola’s side in the second half. Brighton came alive, equalizing through Joao Pedro, who capitalized on City’s failure to clear a goalmouth scramble. Seven minutes before full time, Matt O'Riley, making his Premier League debut, slotted in the winning goal after a well-executed pass from Pedro.
Guardiola was blunt in his assessment of City’s performance: “We are not able to do 90 minutes right now,” he said. “Four defeats in a row. We have to change things quick.” The City manager also acknowledged the possibility that after years of dominance, another team may deserve to win the Premier League this season.
Meanwhile, Liverpool, who have been revitalized under new manager Arne Slot, capitalized on City’s slip-up by winning 2-0 against Villa. With Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez scoring, Liverpool strengthened their push for their first league title since 2020.
Elsewhere, Wolves ended a 13-game winless run in the Premier League, defeating Southampton 2-0, while Fulham secured a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. West Ham and Everton played out a goalless draw, which did little to lift the mood of either set of fans.
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