Fati reduced the deficit.

THE MATCH IS OVER

Man City 2-1 Brighton

A one-goal lead is not yet safe enough, and Man City still need to work hard to push Brighton back into their own half.

Brighton played better in the second half.

GOAL FOR MAN CITY

Man City 2-1 Brighton

Mitoma dribbled past Walker, and his pass set up Fati for a close-range finish to reduce the deficit to 1-2.

An opportunity for Brighton

Mitoma had a dangerous opportunity, but Ortega quickly advanced and narrowed the shooting angle.

Haaland received the ball and managed to dribble past the opposing defender, but he couldn't beat goalkeeper Steele.

Alvarez took the free kick, but the ball went wide of the goal.

Pascal Gross broke through but his shot in a one-on-one situation with Ortega was inaccurate.

SECOND HALF BEGINS

Man City 2-0 Brighton

FIRST HALF ENDS

Man City 2-0 Brighton

Man City came very close to scoring a third goal, but the Brighton defenders started to cover for each other better.

Man City consistently moved the ball to the left wing – where Jeremy Doku was positioned. He repeatedly dribbled past two or three Brighton players.

Doku easily beat Milner, but his shot lacked accuracy.

GOAL FOR MAN CITY

Man City 2-0 Brighton

Brighton's midfield made a mistake, Haaland took two touches before finishing from outside the box to double Man City's lead.

Mitoma beat Foden and troubled the Man City defense, but the Japanese player had no space to shoot.

GOAL FOR MAN CITY

Man City 1-0 Brighton

Doku provided a perfect pass for Alvarez to score the opening goal of the match with a skillful finish.

THE MATCH BEGINS

Man City 0-0 Brighton

Starting lineup

Man City: Ortega Moreno, Walker (C), Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Foden, Doku, Alvarez, Haaland.

Brighton: Steele, Igor, Dunk, Milner, March, Joao Pedro, Gross, Welbeck, Baleba, Mitoma, Adingra.

Man City vs Brighton Prediction

Man City haven't been playing well recently and they understand they need to quickly get back on track with a win against Brighton in the ninth round of the Premier League.

At this time, Brighton themselves are not in good form. They haven't won in 4 consecutive matches, including 3 away games. If we only consider Man City's home record, Brighton have lost their last 7 home games.

Contrary to their image as a formidable underdog, Brighton have lacked the necessary effectiveness in recent matches. This is a time when manager De Zebri may need to make personnel adjustments.

Man City are hoping to get three points against Brighton.

In attack, Evan Ferguson and Pedro deserve starting spots thanks to their energy. Danny Welbeck has a knack for scoring and experience, but time has taken its toll on the English striker.

Even Ansu Fati on the bench would be a noteworthy option on the left flank if Kaoru Mitoma continues to struggle. But first and foremost, Brighton's midfield needs to generate enough passes to consistently supply the forwards with the ball.

That's the theory, but for Brighton to control the ball against Man City is no easy feat. The Citizens' biggest problem is creating chances that tear apart the opponent's defense – something Kevin de Bruyne regularly does. But when the Belgian midfielder is absent, Man City are forced to rely on Foden, Alvarez, Doku, or Kovacic to fill in.

Meanwhile, Haaland desperately needs a breakout performance to prove that he's still excellent even without his senior teammate Kevin de Bruyne. The 2000-born star is showing signs of being figured out by his opponents.

Haaland's dribbling attempts are ineffective. When playing alone, Haaland needs to utilize his physique and one-touch finishing ability instead of trying to dribble past opposing defenders.

By making the most of their opportunities, Man City will still win against the visitors. But this will certainly not be an easy match for Pep Guardiola's team.

Source