IWhen Brighton fans and renowned endurance enthusiast “The Hardest Old Man” paraded on the pitch before kick-off at the Amex Stadium, it was easy to wonder if some sort of elaborate prank was going on. What is that, Pep? Is your team a little tired? Why not tell this to the man who just became the first person in history to run across Africa? He must be dying to know about Bernardo Silva’s hamstring problem.
No one is really buying it. The thing about Manchester City is that they are built to go further. Not only do they have the best technical staff in the league, they also have a physical team.
Brighton adhered to the principle of attacking from the backcourt and was finally defeated in the 34th minute. It never felt like a tricky away game in the final stages of a three-way title race. It was a night of pure dominance after Liverpool’s challenge at Goodison Park ended with a 4-0 victory that moved Manchester City a point ahead of Arsenal with Mikel Arteta’s side still With one game remaining, though Guardiola has realized that what his players are doing really requires is rebalancing themselves in a restorative yoga retreat.
That can wait. Kyle Walker’s lactic performance in the FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea drew criticism from Guardiola, who was emboldened after Phil Foden’s lovely display in the 17th minute Enough energy to push forward from the right back. Walker’s cross, hit on the run, completely kept Brighton at bay. Beat the boss. Start it. Or, in City’s case, cut in in a way that feels more like a precise, high-flying, defense-deceiving cut than a traditional hopeful cross, and then wait for your main playmaker to easily beat you into an invulnerable 1 -0 lead.
It’s a high-profile goal, certainly. Some of City’s games may have been uncompetitive, but there was no doubting the quality of the football. Kevin De Bruyne was another player who couldn’t stop yawning, and he was delighted after making it 1-0 with a diving header that looked a bit like 2014 Robin van Persie’s goal against Spain at the 2016 World Cup.
The athleticism is breathtaking. De Bruyne, hardly known for his superb headers, jogged to the touchline. Manchester City players poked fun at the Belgian’s bizarre, bouncy hairdo.
That’s pretty much it. Early on, Brighton’s most interesting player was their goalkeeper Jason Steele, who consistently found himself with the ball at his feet. This is a questionable strategy. Manchester City let De Bruyne pass the ball. Brighton looked to Steele to move the ball around. Louis Dunk was too involved. Valentín Barco had a poor performance against Walker and was very nervous.
If nothing else, Brighton’s performance was ridiculously brave. They invite the media, take risks, and keep fans sweating. Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is not one to compromise. At times, the beautiful triangles even earned polite applause from the crowd. The only problem is that they all happened inside Brighton’s final third.
There is almost no way out of Guardiola’s trap. With City already leading 1-0, Carlos Baleba did manage to break through the midfield, with Rodri and Mateo Kovacic allowing Brighton’s youngsters to find the back of the net. But when Baleba looked up, he could only see City players looming above him. He attempted a pass to the left and lifted the ball into the chest of Manuel Akanji.
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City are strong, with Josko Gvardiol at left-back and a reportedly tired Rodri skyscraping in midfield. Worse for their opponents, they run like demons. In the 34th minute, Brighton tried a more clever pass. However, Manchester City had five players in the penalty area. Another player complaining about the workload, Silva completed an interception and Foden swept over for his second of the night.
These are the standards required to consistently win. Moments later, Guardiola knelt in his own technical area, clearly in pain as Brighton won the left corner. The score is Brighton 0 City 3. Relax, Pep. The points are probably already in the bag.
But there was never any let up. In the 62nd minute, Manchester City showed off its power again. Walker broke through from the right and punished the weaker Brighton defense. Julian Álvarez replaced the injured Erling Haaland to make it 4-0.
After the game, Guardiola was finally able to chill De Bruyne, Foden and Rodri. With the job done, City can save their legs against Nottingham Forest on Sunday and they will surely hope VAR is the Arsenal fans. Another championship is within reach. The prospect of Manchester City slowing down looks bleak for Arsenal, who remain top of the league.
