City let lead slip as Brighton’s late surge delivers a second straight setback

Manchester City’s afternoon unraveled on the south coast as Brighton came from behind to win 2-1, handing Pep Guardiola’s side a second consecutive league defeat. Erling Haaland marked his 100th Premier League appearance with his 88th goal, but a second‑half penalty from James Milner and an 89th‑minute strike by Brajan Gruda flipped a game City had largely controlled before the interval.

The turning point arrived after the hour when Brighton made a quadruple substitution that injected pace and belief. City, who failed to register a shot on target after the restart, were undone first by a handball from Matheus Nunes and then by a late counter as Kaoru Mitoma released Gruda to round James Trafford and score. After last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham, City remain on three points from three matches.

Haaland’s 100th overshadowed by fine margins

Haaland carried City’s threat in the first half, scuffing one chance, dragging another wide, and forcing a strong save from Bart Verbruggen with a close‑range header on 25 minutes. The breakthrough came on 34 when Omar Marmoush poked a pass through and Haaland prodded in from close range.

Those were not the only opportunities that fell his way, and the ones that got away loomed large after Brighton’s rally. What had seemed a routine away platform became fragile as the hosts grew into the game and City’s margin for error vanished.

Second‑half slide: structure and concentration fade

City lost their grip after half-time. The equaliser arrived when Lewis Dunk’s cross struck Nunes’ arm and Milner, 39 years and 239 days old, converted the 67th‑minute penalty to become the Premier League’s second‑oldest scorer. From there, Brighton repeatedly ran in behind a back line that never re‑established control.

Rodri made his first league start since last September and impressed early but faded with the team’s collective drop. “Some of the mistakes we are doing are kids’ mistakes… we have to raise the level if we want to compete,” he said afterwards. The pattern echoed recent concerns: when City’s structure loosens, spaces appear and opponents can break through with direct passes.

Trafford stands tall, then is exposed late

Retained in goal after his Spurs error, Trafford responded with a series of sharp interventions. He tipped an early long‑range strike from Kaoru Mitoma behind, blocked Yankuba Minteh at close range and produced a spectacular, back‑stretching save to claw away Jan Paul van Hecke’s deflected effort in the closing stages.

But Brighton’s pressure kept mounting, and the winner came from another turnover that City failed to manage. Mitoma threaded Gruda in behind; the substitute rounded Trafford, evaded Rayan Aït‑Nouri and rolled in the 89th‑minute decider. It was a brutal end for a goalkeeper who had kept City alive for much of the half.

Guardiola’s questions grow with derby looming

Back‑to‑back defeats — after an opening win at Wolves — sharpen the focus on City’s evolving shape. Games against Brighton proved awkward last season as well, with a 2-1 away defeat in November followed by a 2-2 draw in March. Despite Rodri’s return to the XI, the second‑half drop here offered little comfort.

City face Manchester United at the Etihad on Sunday, 14 September (16:30 BST) after the international break. With only three points from their first three games and no shots on target after the interval here, Guardiola has a short runway to restore rhythm and control.