Brighton produced an excellent comeback against Man City (Image: Getty)
Manchester City collapsed to suffer a remarkable fourth defeat in a row despite trailing 1-0 going into the final 10 minutes against Brighton. Two late goals from Joao Pedro and Matt O'Reilly inflicted the latest defeat on Pep Guardiola's side.
A depleted City went into this match having been beaten by Tottenham, Bournemouth and Sporting CP in their last three matches. Erling Haaland's first-half goal seemed to promise a much better performance against Brighton.
But City were largely passive and struggled to build on Haaland's 23rd-minute goal, which was his first goal in three games. Brighton capitalized and Guardiola is now on his longest losing streak in English football.
Here's how Express sport rated City's players with three players, in particular, underperforming.
Ederson – 7
Ederson made an excellent save to deny a point-blank header from Jack Hinshelwood, then thwarted Kaoru Mitoma to keep City ahead. But there was little he could do to prevent either of Brighton's two late strikes.
Kyle Walker – 5
Walker was too slow to get to Karou Mitoma to prevent the Brighton winger from crossing in the build-up to Brighton's equalizer.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey – 6
It was a largely positive Premier League debut for Simpson-Pusey. He struggled in Portugal midweek but seemed much calmer on the south coast. He can't be blamed for any of Brighton's goals.
Josko Gvardiol – 5
Gvardiol was too busy racing Welbeck for O'Reilly's winner, leaving a huge void for the Denmark international to exploit.
Man City surrendered a 1-0 lead and paid the price for a passive display (Image: Getty)
Rico Lewis – 6
A display of action from academy graduate Lewis prevented Brighton from making much headway into City territory in the first half. He faded slightly in the second half but was one of the best players on his team.
Mateo Kovacic – 6
Found Haaland with an excellent pass that split the defense and the Norwegian, usually, did the rest. It was a much better performance from the Croatian, who has the difficult task of replacing Rodri for the remainder of the season.
Ilkay Gundogan – 6
Guardiola opted for a more conservative midfield following that horrible performance against Sporting. Gundogan, who proved to be an important signing upon his return from Barcelona, was excellent in helping City progress and maintain possession.
Mateo Kovacic was forced to replace Rodri for Man City (Image: Getty)
Phil Foden – 7
Foden had a positive personal week, ending a four-game goalless streak against Sporting before producing a good performance at Brighton. Positioned closer to Haaland than in previous matches, he seemed to get the best out of both players. Those behind the duo left a lot to be desired, however.
Savinho – 6
Savinho continues to show he could become one of the best wingers in the Premier League. However, he didn't do much for him in this match.
Erling Haaland – 7
This was City's fourth Premier League game this season in which Haaland was the sole scorer. Not only is the Norwegian ultra-prolific, but the majority of his goals are extremely important.
Mathéus Nunes – 5
Nunes has struggled in a left-wing role in recent weeks. His tendency to cut inside and pass backward hampered City's attacks. When moved into midfield, the former Wolves player was too hesitant to clear the ball and Pedro made no mistake from close range.
Substitutes
Bernardo Silva (for Gundogan, '72) – 6
City lost control after their two substitutions, with Pedro's goal coming just moments after Kevin De Bruyne's introduction. But there wasn't much to complain about with any of the players who came on.
Kevin De Bruyne (for Savinho, 74) – 6
De Bruyne looked most likely to create an equalizer in the closing stages and fired an effort just wide from 20 yards.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1973965/man-city-player-ratings-brighton-erling-haaland