"Fabian Hurzeler, the Brighton manager, must take credit for a quadruple substation on the hour that transformed the game, but just as striking was how vulnerable City became to balls played in behind their defensive line. The structure that once gave them a stifling control has vanished almost entirely. The sense for Brighton had been of performances having been rather better than results."
"Although they conceded an injury-time equaliser at home against Fulham and then lost at Everton, where they missed a penalty and twice hit the woodwork, they have won the xG convincingly in both games. While Brighton beat City at home last season, it was always likely that this would be a trickier afternoon and yet Tottenham had shown last week how this City can been pressured, something Brighton never managed in the first hour."
Manchester City lost their aura of invincibility and became vulnerable to balls played in behind the defensive line. Brighton transformed the match after a quadruple substitution on the hour, creating sustained pressure and an eventual winner by Brajan Gruda. City led at half-time and appeared comfortable, but lacked precision and fluency, reflected by a pass completion rate below 75% before half-time. Disruption from integrating new players and Club World Cup travel contributed to City’s instability. Brighton’s recent performances had been stronger than results suggested, with superior xG in prior matches despite dropped points. City’s previous stifling control has almost vanished.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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