Lady luck smiles on Pep as slick City return to the summit
Nerves settled: Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez scores the opening goal against Brighton at the Etihad Stadium. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.
MANCHESTER City moved ominously back to the top off the Premier League last night and, if their good fortune remains like this for the remainder of the way, Liverpool might as well forget their title challenge.
Bernardo Silva wrapped up an ultimately comfortable win after a lethal press saw Oleksandr Zinchenko win the ball, pass to Kevin De Bruyne and Silva score from just inside the area after 81 minutes.
But the first two goals of the evening had demonstrated that while possessing all the necessary skill and experience to hold onto their crown, City also enjoyed the help of Lady Luck last night with their opening two goals needing huge deflections.
For the first time in 136 days, City players had awakened yesterday, out of first place in the Premier League table.
There had been a couple of occasions at the start of this month when a Liverpool win preceded a City victory by a couple of hours - when Jurgen Klopp’s side had leapfrogged above them momentarily.
But after Liverpool’s ominously emphatic victory over Manchester United on Tuesday, it felt like the title run-in had started for real, and City started to look like it.
Such anxiety is something City will have to learn to live with, given that they and Liverpool do not share a kick-off time between now and the final day of the campaign on May 22.
This will be a title run-in of ping-pong proportions, a back-and-forth which, even should both teams win all their remaining games, will see the lead at the top of the Premier League change repeatedly, given staggered kick-off times.
Not that City could complain about their lack of possession or opportunity, with Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez even laying on the best early chance for the defending champions after 16 minutes.
His terrible clearance fell directly to Riyad Mahrez on the edge of the area but, after a neat control on his chest, and unnecessary extra touch allowed Moises Caicedo to make a brilliant challenge.
It was typical of so much of the first half, as Brighton’s committed defending all too often saw them hurl bodies in the way of promising City attacks.
When Ilkay Gundogan, for example, surged into the area after 38 minutes and lined himself up for a shot which one expected to see nestling in the back of the net, Brighton captain Lewis Dunk threw himself in the way with a vital block.
This is familiar territory for City, and especially Guardiola, of course although the tension was obviously mounting as the half progressed and Brighton evcen had the audacity to launch the odd foray themselves.
It was all a far cry from Liverpool’s majestic Anfield display 24 hours earlier although, in City’s defence, Brighton represented infinitely sterner opposition than had Ralf Rangnick’s shambolic United.
There had also been some De Bruyne-inspired moments to give City hope in that first period. A one-two with Phil Foden ended with the Belgian firing wide from 20 yards before he set up Bernardo Silva for a chip which Sanchez clawed away from his top corner.
But all too often, City were over-elaborate in their build-up, attempted too many passes or just poor in their decision-making in the final third.
A late first half injury to Dutch International Nathan Ake also forced Guardiola into a half-time substitution with Ruben Dias, out for seven weeks with a hamstring injury, his replacement - a timely return given City’s fixtures to come.
Perhaps it was the sight of such a familiar, influential figure back in their ranks, but City looked a more confident proposition after the restart.
Gundogan squared for Joao Cancelo whose deflected shot won a corner from which De Bruyne picked out Rodri for a volley which flew just wide after 51 minutes.
And two minutes later, City broke the deadlock after Gundogan sparked a furious counter-attack with a well-judged ball that sent De Bruyne sprinting upfield, holding off Caicedo as he went.
The Belgian was finally dispossessed, via a series of bizarre deflections and ricochets, but the ball fell kindly for Mahrez to convert his 11th league goal of the season, via yet another deflection, this one off Joel Veltman.
Even more strangely, when City doubled their lead - and, surely, put the game’s outcome beyond all reasonable doubt - after 65 minutes, the goal again involved a generous deflection off a Brighton man, albeit a solitary one on this occasion.
Gundogan’s corner found Foden, unmarked 20 yards from goal, and his shot, while hit hard enough, needed a touch by Enock Mwepu to inadvertently guide the ball past his own keeper.
Ederson 6; Cancelo 6, Stones 7 (Zinchenko 77, 6), Laporte 7, Ake 7 (Dias 45, 7); Rodri 7, Gundogan 8; Mahrez 7, De Bruyne 9 (Jesus 83), Silva 7; Foden 7.Â
Sterling, Jesus, Grealish, Steffen, Fernandinho, Palmer, Lavia.
Sanchez 5; Veltman 5, Dunk 7, Cucurella 6; Lamptey 5 (Webster 61, 6), Gross 7, Caicedo 8 (Sarmiento 73, 6), March 6; Mac Allister 5; Mwepu 5, Welbeck 5 (Maupay 77, 5).Â
Lallana, Steele, McGill, Leonard, Offiah, Ferguson.
M Dean 6
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