The Premier League champions have been compromised by a weighty injury list over recent weeks but turned in a fine first-half performance, where they probably should have had more than Erling Haaland’s 12th Premier League goal of the season to show for their efforts.

Joao Pedro poached a 78th-minute equaliser and Matt O’Riley marked his long-awaited Premier League debut with the winning goal five minutes later to send the home fans into raptures.

MORE: All the latest Man City news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings

City’s losing run only features two Premier League games and they will head into the international break in second place. However, Guardiola badly needs his squad’s availability situation to reach a healthier place with games against Tottenham and leaders Liverpool on the horizon.

Although a season-ending injury to midfield talisman Rodri is unfortunate, the extent to which Guardiola and his director of football Txiki Begiristain have allowed City’s squad to dwindle in terms of overall numbers and depth of quality over the past couple of years means recent setbacks are being more keenly felt.

There are also the twin factors of Guardiola’s expiring contract and the Premier League’s 115 charges case against City to consider. The latter is slated to reach the end of its 10-week hearing before an independent tribunal next week. City remain convinced of their innocence and would baulk at the idea that a more circumspect approach in the transfer market has been prompted by the weighty charge sheet that dropped in February 2023.

Guardiola’s current terms expire at the end of this season. He has signed his past two extensions during the November international breaks of 2020 and 2022. Few would have expected him to enter his latest effective renewal window with his team at such a low ebb. If the Catalan’s future is not resolved over the coming weeks, it will only add to the mounting atmosphere of disquiet around the serial Premier League winners.

Team news and lineups | Highlights and key events

Brighton vs. Man City final score

Venue: Amex Stadium, Brighton and Hove
Referee: Sam Barrott

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Lineups:

Brighton (4-4-2, right to left): 1. Bart Verbruggen (GK) — 34. Joel Veltman, 29. Jan Paul van Hecke, 3. Igor Julio, 30. Pervis Estupinan — 11. Simon Adringa (8. Brajan Gruda), 41. Jack Hinshelwood (33. Matt O’Riley), 26. Yasin Ayari (20. Carlos Baleba), 22. Kaoru Mitoma — 14. Georginio Rutter (9. Joao Pedro), 18. Danny Welbeck

Man City (4-1-4-1, right to left): 31. Ederson (GK) — 2. Kyle Walker, 66. Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, 24. Josko Gvardiol, 82. Rico Lewis — 8. Mateo Kovacic — 26. Savinho (17. Kevin De Bruyne), 47. Phil Foden, 19. Ilkay Gundogan (20. Bernardo Silva), 27. Matheus Nunes— 9. Erling Haaland

MORE: Head-to-head record for Chelsea and Arsenal

Brighton vs. Man City highlights, key events

83 mins: GOAL! Matt O’Riley! It’s a long-awaited Premier League debut to remember for the Brighton midfielder. The hosts punch through a flagging City, O’Riley shrugs off Rico Lewis too easily and dispatches a finish beyond Ederson to spark bedlam inside the Amex.

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78 mins: GOAL! Joao Pedro! Brighton’s second-half pressure finally tells. Welbeck gets the ball stuck under his feet and appears to be crowded out by City defenders. But the Brazilian substitute nips in with an expert piece of goal-poaching.

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23 mins: GOAL! Erling Haaland! City’s main man snaffles his 12th goal of the season. After superb work deep in the midfield from Mateo Kovacic, Haaland charges on to the Croatia playmaker’s pass, holds off the insistent attention of Jan Paul van Hecke and smuggles home a finish via Bart Verbruggen and the Brighton goalkeeper’s crossbar.

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Brighton vs. Man City lineups, team news

Much has been made of City’s injury woes but Fabian Hurzeler is also managing a tough and ever-changing situation in the Albion treatment room. Solly March (ACL), James Milner and Adam Webster (both thigh) are more likely to return after the international break, although Matt O’Riley is back on the bench after his ankle injury.

Lewis Dunk (calf) and Yankuba Minteh (muscular) are still out but, Yasin Ayari (ankle) starts and Carlos Baleba (knee) is on the bench.

Brighton (4-4-2, right to left): Verbruggen (GK) — Veltman, Van Hecke, Igor, Estupinan — Adringa, Hinshelwood, Ayari, Mitoma — Rutter, Welbeck

Injured: March, Milner, Webster, Dunk, Minteh
Suspended: None

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Jack Grealish has not featured since an injury in training in the aftermath of City’s 2-1 win at Wolves on October 20. Guardiola said he expected his record signing to be out until after the November international break but Grealish was called up by interim England boss Lee Carsley on Thursday for the forthcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

Carsley told reporters Grealish had returned to training this week but Guardiola countered at his own press conference on Friday by insisting the £100million man would not be fit to face Brighton.

Rodri‘s ACL absence is being keenly felt in a porous midfield but Guardiola’s biggest problems arguably come in defence, where Nathan Ake is the latest absentee alongside Ruben Dias and John Stones already sidelined. Captain Kyle Walker return after a week’s training to build fitness following a knee complaint and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey remains in the XI for a Premier League debut.

Kevin De Bruyne returned to action with a late cameo in Lisbon and is on the bench once more, alongside the not-fully-fit Ake.

Man City (4-1-4-1, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Simpson-Pusey, Gvardiol, Lewis — Kovacic — Savinho, Foden, Gundogan, Nunes— Haaland

Injured: Dias, Stones, Rodri, Bobb
Suspended: None

Brighton vs. Manchester City live stream, TV channel

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