Manchester City ticked another box on their way to a possible defence of their Premier League title on Thursday as they hammered Brighton & Hove Albion away 4-0. Kevin De Bruyne scored the opener, and Phil Foden added two more as City moved themselves into second in the table. They are one point behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand over Mikel Arteta’s side. Manchester City moved to within a point of Premier League leaders Arsenal as Phil Foden inspired a clinical 4-0 win away at Brighton and Hove Albion on Thursday night.
City opened the scoring courtesy of a superb long-range header from Kevin De Bruyne which finished off a clinical attack that saw Foden and Kyle Walker combine to unpick Brighton.
And Foden bagged a quick-fire brace in the remainder of the first half to put the defending Premier League champions in complete control of the game, with his first goal coming from a deflected free-kick, and his second being served up to him when Brighton youngster Valentin Barco gave the ball away on the edge of his own box trying to play through the press. Julian Alvarez made it 4-0 after half-time following a challenge by the marauding Walker on Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele. The hosts felt aggrieved at the decision to allow the goal to stand, and had a number of claims for penalties turned down, but Roberto De Zerbi’s side did manage to stem the flow of goals to restrict the damage on the night.
City’s margin of victory helps narrow their goal difference deficit to the leaders Arsenal, and Pep Guardiola’s side will head into the weekend just a point off top spot and with a game in hand.
This was a classy and clinical performance from Manchester City to pass one of the more challenging tests of their run-in.
The result means City are now unbeaten in 18 matches in the Premier League and they are racking up the goals at a pace too, eating into the goal difference advantage that Arsenal have over them.
It would need an eight-goal swing for City to overhaul that differential, but you wouldn’t bet against them in this form, and the title is still very much in their hands with five matches left to play.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – PHIL FODEN (MANCHESTER CITY)
Foden was instrumental in City’s first-half dominance, providing the moment of magic to unlock Brighton’s defence for the first time on the night. His sparkling feet and superb vision helped put Walker in space to cross for De Bruyne to head home, and that was the start of the flurry for City.
Foden had fortune on his side in both winning a soft free-kick and then seeing his shot take a deflection to find the back of the net, but his second goal was brutally clinical, nestling in the bottom corner in the blink of an eye after the Seagulls had given the ball away on the edge of their own box.
Is the England international the player of the season? There’s certainly a good argument for it.
PLAYER RATINGS
Brighton: Steele 8; Veltman 4, Van Hecke 6, Dunk 6, Barco 5; Groß 6, Baleba 6; Lallana 4, Moder 5, Pedro 5; Welbeck 5. Subs: Offiah 6, Adingra 6, Julio 6, O’Mahony 6
Man City: Ederson 8; Walker 9, Akanji 8, Aké 7, Gvardiol 8; Rodri 8, Kovačić 7; Bernardo 7, De Bruyne 9, Foden 9; Álvarez 7. Subs: Nunes 6, Grealish 6, Gomez 6, Lewis 7, Doku 6
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
17’ – GOAL! BRIGHTON 0-1 MAN CITY (DE BRUYNE): The patience pays off as City’s composed build-up play unlocks Brighton. It was Foden who picked the lock, finding Walker in space on the right to cross, and De Bruyne ghosted into the box to meet it with a terrific stooping header that picked out the top corner from quite some way out. Pure class. 1-0.
26’ – GOAL! BRIGHTON 0-2 MAN CITY (FODEN): Foden wins a free-kick on the edge of the box, slightly fortuitously, and he steps up to take the set-piece, which takes a deflection to wrongfoot Steele and nestle in the back of the Brighton net. 2-0.
34’ – GOAL! BRIGHTON 0-3 MAN CITY (FODEN): Brighton try and play through City’s high press and get themselves into all sorts of trouble, giving the ball away on the edge of the box straight to Foden. It’s the youngster Barco who gives it away, and Foden picks out the bottom corner. Game over?
62’ – GOAL! BRIGHTON 0-4 MAN CITY (ALVAREZ): Walker has been given a bit of license to push forward from right-back tonight, turning back the years a little. He cuts inside and slides in to flick the ball away from Steele and into the patch of Alvarez, who slots home. Brighton are very unhappy, they feel Walker has fouled Steele there, but it’s a 50-50 and VAR agree that the goal should stand. 4-0.