This is new territory for Pep Guardiola the manager, for whom the fourth defeat in a row for his all-conquering Manchester City was delivered by a Brighton side playing the kind of football under their young manager that the great Catalan once made his own.
City fell again. This time to a Brighton side that looked ever more dynamic as the game developed and won the game through Joao Pedro and then Matt O’Riley on his Premier League debut for Brighton. Both of them substitutes for manager Fabian Hurzeler and the Brazilian creating the second after scoring the first. Not only that – Joao Pedro gave Kyle Walker much to ponder in the twilight of his career.
This is developing into a rare crisis for the modern City, who have now lost twice in successive away games in the Premier League as well as those on the road in the Carabao Cup and Champions League. The Etihad record remains intact but currently anything feels possible with a defence that looks good on the ball, but vulnerable to the aggression and movement of a team like Brighton.
Guardiola left the pitch in quite a mood. He engaged in one of those expansive post-match conversations with an opposing player, this time the Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, who seemed bewildered by whatever point was being advanced.
The Dutchman had been excellent. So too Danny Welbeck, the Brighton captain, and Kaoru Mitoma, the firefly Japanese winger. They had the greater ringcraft than City’s defence. The faith that Guardiola places in the young is admirable, and teenage centre-half Jahmai Simpson-Pusey barely put a foot wrong all evening but in the crunch moments the City players were just not decisive enough. The two goals came in a five-minute period in the second half when City just caved in.
A remarkable night for O’Riley, a London-born Fulham academy graduate and Denmark international who was injured in his debut and underwent surgery this season. Long tracked by Premier League clubs in his time at Celtic, the midfielder showed great composure to take his chance.
City were rattled by the end. There was a booking for Erling Haaland who scored the 75th goal of his Premier League career in just 77 games and could not conceal his frustration.
