Man City 3 Brighton 0: Mahrez, Foden and Bernardo send Pep’s men top of Premier League again ahead of Liverpool
LIVERPOOL were knocked off their perch by a club from Manchester. The Kop had briefly claimed top spot the previous night with a thumping 4-0 victory at home – mind you it was only against Manchester United. That’s the club that took control of English football from Anfield’s grasp back in the day. Now they […]
LIVERPOOL were knocked off their perch by a club from Manchester.
The Kop had briefly claimed top spot the previous night with a thumping 4-0 victory at home – mind you it was only against Manchester United.
That’s the club that took control of English football from Anfield’s grasp back in the day.
Now they aren’t even in the running.
It is the neighbours in Blue who have long since taken charge of things and they are back ahead in this thrilling race with Liverpool as they aim to claim a sixth title in ten years.
That is the real rivalry in English football now, these two, and what a battle it is.
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It was a night when Kevin De Bruyne was patched up from the battles with Atletico Madrid to return to the team and his brilliance showed even without a goal.
Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring on 53 minutes at the Etihad.
Phil Foden added a second on 65 before Bernardo Silva completed the scoring eight minutes from time.
It could and should have been more. But that will do for now.
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Manager Pep Guardiola reverted back to a full strength side after making changes for the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool at the weekend in the midst of a mad and intense run of games.
After the brutal two-legged Champions League tie with Atletico and the classic 2-2 draw with Liverpool here in the league last time out he felt he just had to.
That resulted in a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool and a third successive Cup semi-final defeat.
But while the treble can now be just a double, while Liverpool still go for a quadruple, Guardiola’s priorities are understandably the League and Europe.
Liverpool had taken a psychological advantage the night before by going top by two points.
It is a place City had for 119 days until it was surrendered just for a few hours to their rivals on April 2 and they have been back there ever since.
Until Tuesday night that is.
That was when the once 13-point lead, all be it having played two games more, unraveled to a deficit.
By the break, City had recorded 66 per cent possession and seven shots to none for Brighton but only one of those efforts had been on target.
That was a Silva curling effort to the far top corner clawed away by Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
It was not for the want of trying with City camped in the attacking third.
Even when the opponents get a touch, City have an incredible knack of getting the ball back and immediately recycling it into another chance.
The first came after just three minutes when De Bruyne’s corner was only half-cleared and Mahrez fizzed a half volley wide.
A scuffed clearance by Sanchez in the Brighton goal then fell to the same player but he could not get a shot away as Moises Caicedo slid across the turf to win the ball.
De Bruyne shot just wide, then Ilkay Gundogan played a slick one-two and had a shot blocked.
No way through by the break against a Brighton side who had steadied their ship following six straight defeats with a home draw followed by successive wins in North London over Tottenham and Arsenal.
They were missing the hero from those two games in Leandro Trossard through illness and never looked like producing the same sort of heroics.
The visitors simply couldn’t get out their half nor set up a meaningful attack.
The second half began as the first had ended with City on the front foot.
De Bruyne was pinging over corners one of which Rodri met on the full with a goalbound volley that deflected wide.
Then the breakthrough came with the inspirational De Bruyne at the centre of it all.
Gundogan fed him and he set off on an unstoppable driving run before forcing the ball through to Mahrez.
He got a shot away that got a deflection of Joel Veltman and nestled in the back of the net.
Now it was surely how many.
The second followed as Mahrez ignored a crowded penalty area with his corner and picked out Foden free 25 yards out.
He had time to steady himself before releasing a powerful low shot that deflected off Enock Mwepu and wrong-footed Sanchez.
Number three saw Sanchez’s poor clearance intercepted by substitute Oleksandr Zinchenko and helped on by De Bruyne to Silva to finish.
Job done. Now to round 33 of 38.