Manchester City 1-0 Brighton: What a difference 72 hours can make

From looking totally inept when drawing against Newport County of League Two on Sunday to giving the billion pound squad of Manchester City a real fright in a 1-0 defeat on Wednesday, it is never dull being a Brighton fan, is it?

Phil Foden’s goal on the stroke of half time was the only difference between a Brighton side who came into the game with no win in eight and a City team who had won six in a row.

The Albion managed five shots over the course of 90 minutes and not many sides do that against City. If more than one of those had been on target, they might have even come away from the Etihad Stadium with something to show for their efforts.

Story of our season, right? Yes and no. Whilst missed chances are an all too familiar tale, there was plenty of unfamiliar stuff going on alongside it – such as no decision making from Graham Potter which left you wondering if he had been smoking crack for once.

He named an eminently sensible starting XI – albeit it one with six defenders, one midfielder, a number 10, a winger, and Percy Tau in it – which clearly had one eye on a much more important game against The Leeds United on Saturday.

The game plan made sense too. Brighton were never likely to dominate possession against a side as good with the ball as City, but the Albion did not even appear to be trying to assert their normal levels of control. It was a much more pragmatic approach focused on doing something with possession rather than being obsessed with it.

That Brighton looked much better playing this way should not really come as a surprise. Of the five Premier League wins the Albion put on the board in 2020, four of them came in matches in which they had less possession than their opponents. Brighton play and get better results when they have less of the ball.

Neither Manchester City nor Brighton started the game with a recognised centre forward and clear cut chances in the first 30 minutes were unsurprisingly at a premium. Robert Sanchez’s only save of note came when he stood big to keep out a Kevin De Bruyne one-on-one with a quarter of an hour played.

There was one hairy moment when the young goalkeeper mometarily forgot the rules of football and casually picked up Adam Webster’s back pass. Thankfully, the indirect free kick inside the box came to nothing as Alexis Mac Allister made an excellent block after the ball was laid back to De Bruyne.

Mac Allister’s perfectly cushioned volley set Leandro Trossard away from the Albion’s first chance of the evening but he bent his effort wide of Ederson’s post.

Trossard’s role in the wall defending that earlier free kick is worth a mention as he lay on the ground, hiding like a man had who told his girlfriend he is working late, only for her to unexpectedly walk into the pub he is in when he is six pints and four Jägerbombs down. Potterball at its best.

One aspect of Manchester City 1-0 Brighton that was familiar was the Albion’s inability to make the most of set pieces. Brighton’s first corner late in the first half summed it up perfectly as a hopeless delivery was tossed straight into the arms of Ederson.

The City goalkeeper launched a lightning quick counter and within seconds, Sanchez was again denying De Bruyne. Half time was by now drawing near but Brighton could not quite get there on level terms as Foden struck with 44 on the clock to make it Manchester City 1-0 Brighton.

It was a quality finish from a quality player, placed out of reach of Sanchez just inside the near post. There were questions to be asked about the goalkeeper’s angles as he did leave an almighty gap for Foden to find – the sort of error which would have some Brighton fans demanding Maty Ryan be hung, drawn and quartered had it been the Socceroo making it.

If City thought that would open the floodgates, then they were to be disappointed. The Albion actually started the second half the brighter and Davy Pröpper’s technically exquisite volley had everything but the power needed to beat Ederson.

As Brighton attempted to get on the front foot with some success, so space began opening up at the other end for City to exploit. Sanchez made up for his part in the opener by saving from Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva cracked the rebound from the second of those stops against the bar.

Tau was proving to be a breath of fresh air with his pace and directness, teeing up a chance for Mac Allister who fired just over. Based on his showing against City, Brighton could have a real player on their hands in the Lion of Judah – presuming Potter keeps letting him play his natural game rather than turning him into a possession recycling, sideways passing robot.

Sanchez was called into action a couple more times and Pröpper was not far away from connecting to a Bernardo centre on the stretch. Bernardo’s second half performance was another positive; having spent the first 45 minutes jogging around like a 17 stone bloke who had smoked 60 Lambert & Butler before the game, he looked like the Bernardo of winter 2018 after the break.

Even Potter’s substitutions were logical. Neal Maupay replaced Tau, who was hopefully being saved for Saturday. The pace of the Lion of Judah breaking into the wide open spaces that Leeds leave when they pour forward could provide a lot of joy at Elland Road. Knowing Potter, that will probably mean that Tau has to settle for a place on the bench against the Champions of Europe.

Not that our new-found South African supporters could see the value of rest. Judging by their reaction on social media, there were probably riots across the country when Potter decided to remove Tau 23 minutes before the end.

Heaven knows what will happen when the almost inevitable happens, Potter reverts back to making nonsensical decisions and Tau is dropped for Leeds. A full on war, possibly.

Brighton continued to play on the front foot even without the Lion of Judah, forcing a couple of corners which were again completely wasted. Somewhere in deepest, darkest Haywards Heath, Dean Cox was smirking as the Albion failed to beat the first man time and again.

Reda Khedra was handed his senior debut for the final five minutes after a string of impressive showing for the Under 23s and much like Tau, Khedra brought speed and positivity to the party in an intriguing cameo. He looks to have all the tools needed to make the number 67 shirt his own.

The final chance of the game went to City right at the death. With Gareth Southgate watching on, Lewis Dunk continued his fine record of making a howler every time he plays in front of the England manager.

A terrible back header from the Albion captain to Sanchez resulted in the goalkeeper hauling down De Bruyne as he attempted to reach the ball.

Luckily, Raheem Sterling’s penalty proved more of a threat to the International Space Station than the Brighton goal and it finished 1-0 to Manchester City. Sterling’s miss was justice as a heavier defeat would have been harsh on the Albion.

We have been here before of course. Brighton played well when losing to Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this season and when drawing against Liverpool. These plucky performances in games against the big six will not decide the Albion’s fate.

It is what happens against the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Burnley, Fulham and Sheffield United that matters most – struggling opponents all of whom the Albion have disappointed against and failed to beat so far.

Leeds fit into that bracket of a winnable game too, which is what makes Saturday at Elland Road so important. If Brighton play as well as they did against City, then they will go to Yorkshire with a real chance of winning a third Premier League match of the campaign.

As we all know though, that is a bloody big if. Who knows which Albion will turn up at Leeds or whether Potter will rip up everything that worked well against City in favour of some madcap tactical plan dreamt up after one too many swigs of cooking sherry.

What we do know is that being a Brighton fan is rarely dull. From chalk to cheese in 72 hours. What will happen next?