When a team lose the aura of champions, it can go absolutely. Opponents suddenly look at them and wonder what on earth once seemed so intimidating, how on earth a bunch of players in these shirts, even with this manager, could seem so unbeatable.
At half-time Manchester City led, and seemed comfortable in their lead against opponents who had never got going. But by the time Brajan Gruda calmly rounded James Trafford and dumped Rayan Aït-Nouri on his backside before rolling into an empty net, a Brighton winner had come to seem almost overdue.
Seconds earlier Trafford had made a remarkable save, stretching back and to his left to claw away a deflected Jan Paul van Hecke shot. But there had been opportunities before that as well; the Brighton surge had become relentless.
Fabian Hürzeler, the Brighton manager, must take credit for a quadruple substitution on the hour that transformed the game, but just as striking was how vulnerable City became to balls played in behind their defensive line, particularly after the substitution of Bernardo Silva on 72 minutes.
The structure that once gave City a stifling control has vanished almost entirely, the optimism of that opening romp against Wolves long since departed. Give them space and they will still take advantage, but put them under pressure and the fissures and flaws are evident. Almost every recent opponent – Crystal Palace, Al Hilal, Tottenham, even Wolves in the opening minutes – has shown how the space between back four and keeper can be exploited.
The sense for Brighton until now 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 had won the xG convincingly in both games. But they began poorly, undermined by a lack of precision and decisiveness, a laxity that created a mood of frustration; a pass completion rate of under 75% before half‑time told its own story.
City weren’t at anything like their fluent best, which is perhaps no real surprise given the number of players they are trying to integrate and the disruption to their pre-season caused by participation in the Club World Cup. Even the return of Rodri for his first Premier League start since he damaged his knee against Arsenal last September could not generate the old sense of calm.
Although there were some signs of at least some of the familiar City rhythm returning, this remains a team more dependent on individuals for attacking penetration than the stereotype of a Pep Guardiola side.
Erling Haaland, as ever, was the major threat, although these days even he misfires more than he scores. After scuffing one early chance, he had dragged another effort just wide and then headed straight at Bart Verbruggen from close range when, presented with an opportunity following Omar Marmoush’s run, he dinked the ball neatly over the goalkeeper. Brighton, perhaps, will feel they should have cleared, Marmoush somehow bundling through a challenge from Van Hecke before dabbing a pass between Lewis Dunk’s legs.
Perhaps because of that individualism, though, City are vulnerable to counter-attacks, in the way that Guardiola sides playing below their best often are. It is a long time since they really controlled a midfield as they did so often in the treble season. Long before Gruda’s winner, Trafford had had to make a good saves to keep out Kauro Mitoma and Yakuba Minteh, while Diego Gomez squandered a similar opportunity by manhandling Abdukodir Khusanov.
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Minteh’s chance, in particular, seemed to unsettle City and it was soon after that, after the needless concession of a free-kick on the right by Khusanov, that Dunk’s volley smacked into Matheus Nunes’s upraised arm. James Milner, six years after he last scored, converted against his former club to become the second oldest (behind Teddy Sheringham), as well as the second youngest (behind James Vaughan), scorer in Premier League history.
What was notable then was just how incapable City seemed of stopping the Brighton flow. Trafford made save after save before, in the 89th minute, another turnover led to a four-on-three break. Mitoma picked his pass with typical composure and Gruda, presented with yet another one-on-one, almost casually converted.
City, somehow, had lost a game they seemed to have under control with half an hour to go. But worse than that, they no longer have the demeanour of champions. It may return, but for now other Premier League sides will look at them and see opportunity.
