1 day ago
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Pep Guardiola believes team spirit will help Manchester City get through a difficult period but more than camaraderie alone will be required on this evidence. City endured a third consecutive draw against Brighton to leave the leaders, Arsenal, who have a game in hand, five points ahead and currently without a title challenger.
City were left with 14 fit senior outfield players for the match and those on the pitch looked fatigued. An Erling Haaland penalty gave a platform they were unable to build on as City let Brighton come back into the match and deservedly depart with a point thanks to Kaoru Mitoma.
After injuries to Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, Guardiola gave Max Alleyne a debut at centre-back, having recalled the 20-year-old from a loan spell at Watford. If the youngster was looking for reassurance from his highly experienced goalkeeper, it was not forthcoming, as Gianluigi Donnarumma almost let a simple back pass roll past him into the net, only to recover at the last second.
With Brighton happy to sit deep when City were in possession, the hosts struggled to find rhythm. There was often a line of eight yellow shirts on the edge of the box, forcing City to work hard to assess the few gaps. Set pieces looked a promising route with Alleyne miscuing a header at the front post and Bernardo Silva firing straight at Bart Verbruggen from corners.
Phil Foden played centrally, eager to move into the pockets and cause damage but his influence was negligible. Jérémy Doku was the most promising of the City attackers, dribbling at speed to make Jack Hinshelwood backpedal and providing dangerous crosses but without the requisite finishes.
Brighton could sense weaknesses in the City back four and repeatedly tried to get in behind. Ferdi Kadioglu went through one-on-one, only to be repelled by Donnarumma, while Georginio Rutter was stopped at the last second thanks to the speed of Abdukodir Khusanov, who is not much more experienced than his partner Alleyne.
Silva engaged in a tussle with the Brighton left-back, Maxim De Cuyper, earning two free-kicks in dangerous positions for being pulled back but nothing came of them.
Without a goal in his three previous Premier League outings, Haaland gave the impression of a frustrated man, irritated by a lack of service but Brighton’s disciplined defending and City’s slow buildup played equal parts.
Doku’s footwork paid off and ended Brighton’s resistance, going down in the box after being tripped by Diego Gómez. The subpar Thomas Bramall did not spot the infringement, requiring a trip to the video screen. Haaland eventually stepped up and sent Verbruggen the wrong way for his 150th City goal. The spot-kick created a brief distraction from the volatile disagreement between Guardiola and Fabian Hürzeler on the touchline, earning the City head coach a caution.
If the first half was about Brighton’s defensive mentality, that was almost forgotten seconds after the break when a confused Yasin Ayari played the ball straight to Silva eight yards out. He shimmed and sent Verbruggen the wrong way but clipped the outside the post when doubling the lead looked more likely.
City lacked their usual vibrancy, victims of a hectic schedule, injuries and a slight drop in morale after two draws. Haaland did his best to ignite his team, barrelling through the defence, only for Jan Paul van Hecke to prevent the striker from taking a direct route to goal.
It always felt like a second was needed for City because they are brittle at the back. In the end it was too simple for Mitoma, who was allowed space on the edge of the box and a simple route to cut inside, before finding the corner from 18 yards.
Antoine Semenyo will be a City player by the end of the week, providing energy, physicality and skill. It will be another option for Guardiola, a chance to prepare long-throw routines. Greater variety will give opponents a further consideration when preparing to face City, and potential goal threat, especially in flat performances.
Once the equaliser went in, Brighton were dominant. They should have been ahead when Matheus Nunes missed a simple header; Mitoma capitalised and sent his cross for Gómez to tap home from a few yards out. The unmarked Paraguayan, however, conspired to send the ball behind him.
Guardiola sent on the remainder of his senior substitutes to inject much-needed energy. The prospect of Rayan Cherki joining the main event arguably brought an element of fear to Brighton. Haaland had a header cleared off the line and should have done far better after another Ayari gaff, this time passing to Cherki inside the Brighton box. It was laid off to Haaland in space but he wasted the chance of victory.
