A lot has happened since Manchester City’s FA Cup third round victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in January. That was the start of a record-breaking run that helped City win a historic treble. Such triumphs can make it a struggle to find the motivation to keep improving but a 21st straight home victory in all competitions over Brighton, to surpass Manchester United’s run of 20 more than a decade ago, shows how high the standards are.
As well as finding new methods of inspiring his team, a summer refresh of the squad has brought a new dynamic to City. One of those arrivals, Jérémy Doku was key to their attacking prowess here. Whenever the winger received the ball, there was a brief hush as fans awaited where his dribbles would finish, the answer usually being past James Milner, as the veteran was reminded of his 37 years and the fact he is not a full-back by trade. It caused Roberto De Zerbi to do the kindest thing by removing him at half-time, with Brighton behind thanks to goals from Julián Álvarez and Erling Haaland.
“He is an exceptional winger, so smart and intuitive to get the ball,” Pep Guardiola said of Doku. “After the quality to beat one or two guys to the byline for the first goal.
“Really pleased for his impact since he came into us and for many years to come in this house.”
De Zerbi is one of the names tipped to replace Guardiola when he departs. His tactical acumen and eagerness to attack are key reasons behind his success. In the early stages Brighton went man-to-man with City’s back four, as they looked to target a perceived weakness but it took the introduction of Ansu Fati to wrestle control away from City.
Few teams that go toe-to-toe with City come out of it well and Brighton were behind in the seventh minute. Doku’s pace was too much for Pascal Gross on the left wing, allowing him to reach the byline and pick out Álvarez who took aim with his left foot but miscued it, not that it mattered as the ball flew in off his right in-step for his 17th home goal in as many starts.
Brighton worked hard, making them frustrated when Carlos Baleba gifted the ball to Haaland 20 yards from goal. He drove for the edge of the box and viciously sent his shot into the bottom corner with the sort of power the recently departed City legend Franny Lee would have been proud of.
The quality available at Brighton is undeniable and they became more dangerous as the game went on. While Doku made Milner question his life choices, Kaoru Mitoma caused constant problems for Kyle Walker, one of the world’s best right-backs, in the second half to put City on the back foot.
It was a very open game as City looked to end the match as a contest and Brighton to find hope. One second Lewis Dunk was clearing an Álvarez shot off the line with Jason Steele out of his goal and within moments, Brighton countered, with Mitoma causing the problems again down the left and Fati capitalising on a poor Manuel Akanji clearance to finish but they could not find an equaliser.
“If we play with more courage and personality, we can play like we did in the second half,” De Zerbi said. “We were shy in the first half. We might lose 6-1 but that is not a problem because I want to play with personality.”
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
In addition to completing a 14th away league match against City without a win, Brighton suffered the blow of Solly March suffering a serious injury, leaving him in distress before being taken off on a stretcher.
For City, who finished the match with 10 men after Akanji received a second booking late on, this win will add a new paragraph to the record books but, more importantly, it got them back to winning ways after two straight defeats.
