Man City vs Brighton final score, result as Guardiola's men battle to win after Alvarez, Haaland goals

Erling Haaland was back among the goals as Manchester City returned to winning ways with an absorbing 2-1 victory over Brighton.

Pep Guardiola’s treble winners headed into the international break on the back of consecutive defeats to Wolves and Arsenal, and Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton played with their typically enterprising ambition to prod at any potential scars.

But Julian Alvarez dispatched his seventh goal of the season from Jeremy Doku's seventh-minute cutback to settle nerves and a mistake by Carlos Baleba allowed Erling Haaland to ram home his 12th for club and country in 2023/24.

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This left-footed finish from Erling Haaland! 🔥 #MCIBHA

📺 @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/GWEbObDZqh

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 21, 2023

Stefan Ortega was a surprise inclusion ahead of Ederson in goal for City and he came out to save superbly from Kaoru Mitoma as Brighton gained the upper hand after the hour.

De Zerbi’s decision to introduce Billy Gilmour and Ansu Fati — a sounder move than starting James Milner to be savaged at right-back by Doku — contributed to the turnaround and the goal had been coming when Fati pounced after Manuel Akanji blocked a low Mitoma cross.

City were forced to close a record 21st consecutive Premier League home win with 10 men after Akanji collected a second booking for a foul on the livewire Fati, while Brighton’s thoughts will quickly turn towards Solly March, who left the field on a stretcher with a serious-looking knee injury during the late exchanges.

MORE: Kaoru Mitoma Brighton contract: Wages, salary, predicted transfer fee

Man City vs Brighton final score

Lineups:

Man City (3-2-4-1, right to left): 18. Stefan Ortega (GK) — 2. Kyle Walker, 25. Manuel Akanji, 24. Josko Gvardiol — 5. John Stones (3. Ruben Dias), 16. Rodri — 47. Phil Foden, 19. Julian Alvarez (6. Nathan Ake), 21 Bernardo Silva, 11. Jeremy Doku (10. Jack Grealish) — 9. Erling Haaland

Brighton (4-2-2-2, right to left): 23. Jason Steele (GK) — 6. James Milner (34. Joel Veltman), 5. Lewis Dunk, 3. Igor Julio, 7. Solly March (29. Jan Paul van Hecke) — 13. Pascal Gross, 24 Carlos Balepa (11. Billy Gilmour) — 24. Simon Adringa, 22. Karou Mitoma — 18. Danny Welbeck (28. Evan Ferguson), 9. Joao Pedro (31. Ansu Fati)

MORE: Can Man City win Premier League without Rodri? Why Pep Guardiola must revisit Busquets tactic after Arsenal loss

Are Man City boring?

It’s been an accusation thrown around fairly frequently at Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side and it will be again in some quarters if they rack up another handsome trophy haul come the end of the season. Guardiola’s team are formulaic, slaves to the system and take all jeopardy out of games, so the story goes.

You can see where some of those complaints come from, but on an afternoon like this against an opponent as committed to expansive football as Brighton they’re captivating to watch.

Alvarez scuffed his shot for the opening goal into the turf but most of his other touches were easy on the eye, with the same to be said for Phil Foden darting in with intent from the right flank. On the other wing, Doku was simply box office, a place in the footballing universe where Haaland showed he permanently resides even when not at his best with a blistering finish from 20 yards.

The other side of this more expansive City, packed with dynamic ball-carriers even in the back four, is the route they allowed Brighton back into the game. Guardiola introducing Ruben Dias and Jack Grealish immediately after Fati’s goal marked a move back towards the control of old to get the job done. The sense of a team working out the kinks in between two styles is something City’s title rivals might take heart from, although they are seldom in top gear at this time of year.

A new record for a @premierleague team! 🙌

An incredible run of home wins 🏡 pic.twitter.com/AmgaJRQmSu

— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 21, 2023

Is Doku a problem for £100m man Grealish?

Doku was named man of the match and he has added an exhilarating edge to City. If Haaland is a man capable of off-the-cuff highlight reel moments, the Belgium winger seems to deal in nothing else.

After his £55.5m move from Rennes, Doku has enjoyed more minutes on the left wing for City than he might have expected and has seized his chance. Part of the reason was Grealish being sidelined by injury and it will be interesting to see who Guardiola selects on that flank for next weekend’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

"He is a player who is not used to playing every three days but he is an exceptional winger," Guardiola said of Doku, before explaining that he’s also doing plenty of the required dirty work. "He is so smart and defensively intuitive to win the ball and after that he has the quality to go one against one and to the byline. I’m really, really pleased for his impact since he came to us and it is the start for many years to come to be in this house."

Jeremy Doku vs Brighton:

1 Assist
56 Touches
31 Accurate Passes
84% Pass Accuracy
8 Ground Duels Won
5 Successful Dribbles
2 Key Passes
1 Tackle
1 Shot On Target
1 Accurate Long Ball
1 Big Chance Created pic.twitter.com/jya9BxbTEd

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) October 21, 2023

Doku’s explosive, edge-of-the-seat play is something you might have associated with Grealish at Aston Villa but not so much at City. The England international was integral to his club's run to the treble last season and he showed his imperious quality in terms of hogging possession, controlling the tempo of the play and taking the sting out of tricky situations when he replaced Doku after Fati’s goal. 

"He’s one of the players who won the treble. We could not have done what we have done without him," Guardiola said when the conversation moved to Grealish, who he suggested is still feeling the effects of 50 appearances, 41 starts and 3,474 minutes last term. "Everyone wants more. We need him. I spoke a few times with him and in the future [about] when we need him — yes, yes or yes. Step by step, we are going to get to the best form and best rhythm to help us to sustain. The season is so long. We need him."

In some respects, Grealish is a winger who embodies how City conquered Europe and Doku is a wide attacker who points tantalisingly to a potentially bold new direction. How each player’s season develops from this point will be intriguing and tell us plenty about where Guardiola is taking his team.

MORE: This is how it feels to be City: From Gillingham to Grealish in millions and memories for Manchester's new treble kings

Man City vs Brighton lineups, team news

Spain international Rodri came straight back into the City starting XI following a three-game domestic ban. Captain Kevin De Bruyne is still out but John Stones made his first start of the Premier League season after stepping up his return to fitness with England. Stefan Ortega was a surprise inclusion in goal ahead of Ederson. 

Man City lineup (3-2-4-1, right to left): Ortega (GK) — Walker, Akanji, Gvardiol — Stones, Rodri — Foden, Alvarez, Silva, Doku — Haaland

De Zerbi will be able to count on key winger Kaoru Mitoma following a virus with James Milner starting at right-back.

Brighton lineup (4-2-2-2, right to left): Steele (GK) — Milner, Dunk, Igor, March — Gross, Balepa — Adringa, Mitoma — Welbeck, Joao Pedro

Man City vs Brighton live stream, TV channel

The Manchester City vs. Brighton match from the Premier League kicks off at 3:00 p.m. local time from the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

Below are the corresponding times, TV channels, and live streams to watch the match in regions around the world

IN CANADA: Watch this match in 4k on Fubo Canada (on 4k devices)

USA: This game will be shown on USA Network and in Spanish on Universo. There are Spanish-language streaming options via Universo and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, both of which are available to Fubo subscribers.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.

UK: This match is not available for live broadcast due to the Saturday 3 p.m. embargo. There will be coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live.

MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA