Brighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester City; Premier League
Brighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester City. Premier League.
Amex StadiumAttendance31,485.
Brighton and Hove Albion 2
- J Milner (67th minute pen)
- B Gruda (89th minute)
Manchester City 1
- E Haaland (34th minute)
Brighton 2-1 Man City: Super subs James Milner and Brajan Gruda inflict second defeat on Pep Guardiola's side
Report and free match highlights from the Premier League match between Brighton and Man City; Erling Haaland nets first-half opener with his fourth chance; James Milner equalises with penalty; Brajan Gruda scores last-minute winner; Rodri made first Premier League start since ACL injury
Sunday 31 August 2025 20:32, UK
Manchester City suffered their second defeat in their opening three Premier League games after collapsing to a late 2-1 loss at Brighton.
City were beaten 2-0 at home by Tottenham last weekend and unravelled in the second half on the south coast after Erling Haaland had continued his remarkable scoring record by netting his 88th goal on his 100th league appearance.
Pep Guardiola's side had been cruising until a quadruple substitution just after the hour mark by Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler turned the game in their favour as City midfielder Rodri, making his first league start since suffering an ACL injury, faded badly, having shone in the first half.
"I'm not Messi," Rodri told Sky Sports afterwards. "I'm not going to come back and just make the team win and win and win. This is a collective. When we won in the past, I needed all my teammates."
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One of those Brighton changes, the 39-year-old James Milner, tucked a penalty into the bottom left corner against his former club after Matheus Nunes had been penalised for handball when Lewis Dunk's volley struck his left arm.
James Trafford retained his place in the Man City goal after his error last weekend and his saves from Yankuba Minteh and Jan Paul van Hecke kept them in the game until the 89th minute.
Kaoru Mitoma played through substitute Brajan Gruda and he kept his cool to sit down defender Rayan Ait Nouri and round Trafford to tap in the winner.
Rodri: We're making kids' mistakes
Manchester City midfielder Rodri told Sky Sports:
"Disappointed because we are Manchester City and we come here to win, but this is the reality. We are not at the level for a long, long time. The only way to come back is to look to ourselves. We started well but the second half, we dropped a little bit. Then at home they have pressure and we make two mistakes and it's 2-1.
"We are missing the level. I don't know, call it how you want. It is a matter of the team and the changes, new players have to adapt, and of course, when you change the team that much it is difficult. This is our reality, it is not for excuses and we have to see this is not the way to achieve things. let's go to the break and refresh the mind.
"I do think that we had control of the game and we were not our best. We did not create our best match, but today we should win because we concede two big mistakes and counter-attacks. Some of the mistakes we are doing are kids' mistakes. You are not concentrating and paying attention. The reality is that we have to raise the level if we want to compete."
Pep: I like many things we're doing
Man City boss Pep Guardiola speaking to Sky Sports:
"We had a good hour but the last half an hour, we were not good. We were not good enough, but it is what it is.
"We have a really good squad and of course we changed many things, but it's normal. We need new players to adapt.
"I like many things we are doing. When we come back, we will know the real squad we have.
"Those are fantastic players. I am happy he [Rodri] could play 90 minutes. Hopefully, handle his minutes in the national team."
Pep vows Man City will start winning but what's wrong?
Sky Sports' David Richardson at the Amex Stadium:Crisis? What crisis? Pep Guardiola is keeping his cool amid Manchester City's poor start to the Premier League season.
"I have a good feeling in many, many things," he vowed after being beaten again, this time at Brighton. "We played really, really good. We created a lot."
Man City could have been three ahead by half-time had Erling Haaland made the most of his chances. City respected Brighton's possession-based style, allowing them to have it, but springing quickly when they turned over the ball.
- Brighton 2-1 Manchester City - report & highlights
- As it happened | Teams | Match stats
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Rodri shone in the first half, having the most touches, passes completed and possession regains on his first league start since suffering an ACL injury last September - but he faded in the second half as Brighton overran the Man City midfield.
"I'm not Messi. I'm not going to come back and just make the team win and win and win. This is a collective," he said.
Man City had zero control from the 60th minute. They went more direct yet weren't on the same wavelength to push up the pitch and play off Haaland.
Their defending became messy with Abdukodir Khusanov lunging into tackles and Rayan Ait Nouri ripped apart by Yankuba Minteh. They were inexplicably wide open in the 89th minute to allow Brajan Gruda to score the winner.
"Our base is still really, really good. And the new players are really good too," vowed Guardiola.
"It's a question of click. It's a question of momentum. When we are going to start winning games, it's going to happen."
Hurzeler: We didn't believe so I made subs
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler speaking to Sky Sports:
"Football is not always about tactics, it is sometimes about energy and the energy you put on the pitch. We showed it today. In the second half, we had this energy.
"This can win you games. We didn't believe in ourselves [before the substitutes]. I decided to make the four changes. It is always a decision we make together."
On Milner: "You need it a lot [experience]. He spreads it and it spreads to the others, to the crowd. He has dealt with this in his past. Overall, I am very happy with him. Not only as a player but his personality. He proved he can help."
On new signings: "There is nothing impossible, but I am very happy with my squad. I don't think crazy things will happen."
Milner copies Jota celebration
James Milner told Sky Sports he copied former team-mate Diogo Jota's goal celebration: "Obviously Jots meant so much to everyone. It is an honour to wear his number this season. I have seen him doing it [the celebration] and it was probably a bad impression by me."
