Ruben Dias gets humiliated by Leandro Trossard as Manchester City suffer a 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday.
Manchester City slump to their sixth defeat of the Premier League campaign, suffering a 3-2 loss at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday.
It was a heated affair as Joao Cancelo was sent off for Man City within the first ten minutes, for a tackle on Danny Welbeck, although the visitors’ camp were convinced it was merely a collision. It nevertheless reduced the champions to ten men, although they were still in control of the game heading into half-time, thanks to an early strike from Ilkay Gundogan.
The German then played a key role in the build-up to the second goal from Phil Foden, just after half-time. But when the game was heading the opponent’s way, Brighton made a remarkable comeback, pulling one back through Leandro Trossard in the 50th minute that caused panic among the Man City camp.
The Seagulls then used that momentum to push for the equaliser, ultimately finding the breakthrough in the 72nd minute through Adam Webster. Moments later, the hosts found another unlikely scorer in Dan Burn, whose scrambled goal in the 75th minute turn out to be the winner. Pep Guardiola, though, was far from happy and was involved in a heated debate with Graham Potter soon after the game.
Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Manchester City players in their disappointing defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion this midweek.
Ederson: 6.5/10
Ederson was magnificent with the ball at his feet, as usual, playing a vital role in the build-up to Gundogan’s early opener. Unfortunately, the Manchester City goalkeeper was not able to keep out any of the goals from Brighton, although he couldn’t have done anything much either as all of them were taken from close range.
Joao Cancelo: 4/10
Joao Cancelo was perhaps unlucky to be penalised, as his attempt to stop Welbeck looked like a genuine defensive manoeuvre. His red card, nonetheless, sabotaged City’s chances in the game.
John Stones: 5/10
John Stones had a difficult game at the heart of the Manchester City defence. Although the former Evertonian was mostly solid, he should have done much more to prevent Trossaard from creating space for himself for the first Brighton goal. Also got caught from a set-piece for the second goal.
Ruben Dias: 5/10
This is the first time Ruben Dias has conceded three goals in his Man City career ? pic.twitter.com/LQoZYgOQbd
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 18, 2021
It was a rare off day for Ruben Dias, as he got completely played by Trossard for the first goal. Aside from that, the centre-back tried to instill confidence in his defensive unit, although one could argue that he should have offered better performance and prevented at least one of the three goals. Not a good confidence-booster heading into the last game of the season.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 6.5/10
A quiet outing for Oleksandr Zinchenko, as the early dismissal of Cancelo, restricted him from too making too many forays down the flanks. It unsurprisingly had an adverse effect on Man City’s chance-creation, but the full-back himself remained solid for the most part, dealing with the Brighton threat, largely thanks to his excellent positional sense.
Bernardo Silva: 6/10
Bernardo Silva had a busy game, as far as his positioning is concerned. He had to showcase his versatility due to Cancelo’s dismissal. As such, the Portuguese international mostly just hovered around the right-sided half-space, trying to keep the Brighton defence occupied, while finding an opening in the final third. It did not really make the desired impact, however.
Rodri: 5/10
Not the best of games for Rodri, who was culpable for conceding the winning goal from Burn. It was his blind backpass that led to the turnover, although other than that, the midfielder was fairly solid in the number position. He offered additional cover for the backline while circulating possession from the middle of the park.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7/10
Ilkay Gundogan was one of the bright sparks in an otherwise dire performance from the Manchester City this evening. The German scored the all-important opener before playing a key role in the build-up to the second. Aside from that, he kept things ticking in the middle of the park using his ball-circulation and positional awareness.
İlkay Gündoğan has scored more non-penalty goals than any other midfielder in the Premier League this season (12).
Only Bruno Fernandes (18) has more than his 13 in total. ? pic.twitter.com/qczKDQyPtQ
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 18, 2021
Riyad Mahrez: 6.5/10
Riyad Mahrez produced the cross that led to Gundogan’s early opener. Unfortunately, he was one of three players to be affected by Cancelo’s red card, as it forced him to do more of the defensive work. As a result, the winger wasn’t seen much after that early cross to set up Gundogan.
Ferran Torres: 6/10
After scoring a hat-trick in the last game, it was just not the evening for Ferran Torres. The youngster was anonymous during the time he was on the field failing to offer enough threat going forward. Was sacrificed for Eric Garcia just 15 minutes in.
Phil Foden: 7.5/10
Phil Foden’s amazing solo run to score the second goal was one of Man City’s highlights of the game. In fact, the Englishman makes a strong case for being Manchester City’s best player in this game, as he was quite effective going forward. The youngster used his quick feet to wriggle through tight spaces while also faring well in the half-space. Looks like a guaranteed starter in the UCL final.
Phil Foden, stop that! Stop that right now! ???
That is a magical individual goal! pic.twitter.com/QumfqACKg2
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 18, 2021
Substitutes
Eric Garcia: 2/10
Eric Garcia replaced Torres following Cancelo’s red card, operating on the right sided defensive region. It was a bad move by Guardiola, as the Spaniard got dominated by Trossard on the flanks. He was weak defensively and simply didn’t do enough to stop Brighton from coming back into the game. Also missed a late opportunity to equalise for City.
Fernandinho: 6/10
Fernandinho replaced Gundogan around the hour mark to add more solidity in the middle of the park. It clearly did not work as Man City conceded twice soon after, though neither of them was his fault.
Gabriel Jesus: 6/10
A late replacement for Silva, as Guardiola opted for additional firepower going forward. The Brazilian forward wasn’t able to make the desired impact, though.
