Brighton stun Manchester City 2-1 in Premier League upset

…As Liverpool retain PL top spot

Brighton came from behind in a sensational late fightback to beat Manchester City 2-1 to win at the Amex Stadium.

The defeat means Pep Guardiola has lost four consecutive matches for the first time in his managerial career.

City had already lost three in a row for the first time since April 2018 and their injury problems had not abated.

Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, run ragged when only half-fit in the defeat against Bournemouth, made only the bench, leaving 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey with his first league start in central defence.

Substitute Matt O’Riley appeared in the area in the 83rd minute to tuck away Joao Pedro’s pass for his first Brighton goal to stun the Premier League champions, minutes after Pedro had himself equalised following a penalty box scramble.

Kovacic, the visitors’ best player in the first half, drove upfield and slipped the ball to Savinho who was thwarted by Bart Verbruggen as he aimed for the corner.

The opening goal though was not long in arriving. Yasin Ayari gave the ball away near halfway to Kovacic and City’s midfield powerhouse cruised forward again.

His ball to find Haaland was perfectly pitched, the striker’s run meticulously routed in between Igor Julio and Jan Paul van Hecke, and though Verbruggen blocked the initial shot, Haaland won the foot race with Van Hecke to crash the ball in off the crossbar from a yard out.

Erling Haaland’s goal after 23 minutes had looked like being City’s winner for much of the game, the Norway striker finishing off following a sublimely calibrated pass from Mateo Kovacic.

Haaland saw his near-post drive turned against the post by Verbruggen then moments later glanced a header over from a corner, as City threatened a second.

At Anfield, Liverpool maintain their position with a comfortable win over Aston Villa, edging the visitors 2-0 to go 5-points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Arne Slot side have now won 15 of his first 17 games, but took Liverpool to 28 points – a tally bettered only once in the last 34 seasons when they amassed 31 points at the same stage in 2019-20 on the way to lifting the league title.