Manchester City

Manchester City player ratings vs Brighton: Erling Haaland malfunctions as sublime Seagulls push champions all the way

Richard Martin
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City were put to the test by Roberto De Zerbi's high-flying Seagulls and were fortunate to come away with a draw, despite almost snatching victory.

Manchester City's 12-game winning streak in the Premier League came to a halt against an inspired Brighton side who gave the champions their biggest scare of 2023 in an entertaining 1-1 draw.

Pep Guardiola fielded a stronger team than in Sunday's 1-0 win over Chelsea but still experimented, including playing Rodri at centre-back - a move which just gave more control to Roberto De Zerbi's slick and ambitious Seagulls.

Phil Foden gave City the lead after two big misses by Erling Haaland, but a stunning effort from Julio Encisco pulled Brighton level. The hosts dominated the second half but City thought they had found a winner through Haaland's header, but that was eventually ruled out for a foul following a VAR review.

Brighton celebrated wildly at full-time as they clinched their place in the Europa League while City dropped points for the first time since their 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on February 18.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Amex Stadium...

Editors' Picks

  1. Goalkeeper & Defence
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    Goalkeeper & Defence

    Stefan Ortega (7/10):

    Kept busy by Brighton's onslaughts and had to make six saves. Also put under pressure when on the ball but coped with it well.

    Kyle Walker (5/10):

    Struggled at times to cope with Kaoru Mitoma and not as able to put out fires as usual.

    John Stones (6/10):

    Put under a lot of pressure and did not always cope well with it.

    Rodri (5/10):

    Played in the unusual role of centre-back, which he has played for Spain. But his performance suggests he is much more useful in the middle of the pitch than at the back.

    Rico Lewis (7/10):

    Showcased his technical skills and got forward a lot.

  2. Midfield

    Kevin De Bruyne (5/10):

    Never got going in the game and was taken off in the 57th minute.

    Bernardo Silva (5/10):

    Struggled to anchor the team like Rodri usually does and had to resort to tactical fouls to stop Brighton in their tracks.

    Ilkay Gundogan (6/10):

    Contributed to some of City's best moments, especially in the first half.

  4. Attack
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    Attack

    Riyad Mahrez (7/10):

    Played an exquisite through ball to release Haaland for the goal.

    Erling Haaland (6/10):

    Missed two clear chances in the first half - a free header and a one-on-one. Made amends by setting up Foden for the goal and had a header ruled out in the second period for a foul.

    Phil Foden (8/10):

    Built on his performance against Chelsea with another lively and effective performance. Was City's biggest threat until he was brought off in the 51st minute and fully deserved his goal.

  5. Subs & Manager

    Cole Palmer (7/10):

    Picked up where Foden left off and had a lot of joy down the left wing, crossing for Haaland to score the goal that was ruled out.

    Julian Alvarez (6/10):

    An improvement on De Bruyne and Brighton had to foul him on a few occasions to stop him doing damage.

    Kalvin Phillips (N/A):

    Only introduced for the final six minutes.

    Sergio Gomez (N/A):

    Came on with Phillips.

    Pep Guardiola (5/10):

    Had the opportunity to experiment but playing Rodri at centre-back did not go well. He should avoid making the same mistake in either of the finals.