Brighton and Hove Albion produced a stirring late fightback to beat Manchester City 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, overturning Erling Haaland’s first-half opener with second-half strikes from James Milner and Brajan Gruda.
Haaland, making his 100th Premier League appearance, gave City the lead in the 34th minute with his 88th goal in the competition – extending his record as the highest scorer across a century of league appearances. The Norwegian had already gone close twice before pouncing on Omar Marmoush’s clever pass to fire beyond Bart Verbruggen.
City looked in control at the interval, but Brighton responded after the break. The turning point came on 67 minutes when Lewis Dunk’s volley struck Matheus Nunes’ outstretched arm, allowing Milner to equalise from the penalty spot. It was the 39-year-old’s first Premier League goal since 2019, making him the second-oldest scorer in the competition’s history behind Teddy Sheringham.
As City pushed for a winner, Brighton’s substitutes injected fresh energy. Gruda struck the decisive blow in the 89th minute, bursting into the box before calmly finishing past James Trafford to seal a famous victory for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
The afternoon had begun positively for City with the return of Rodri, making his first Premier League start since suffering a knee injury in September 2024. The Ballon d’Or holder received a rousing reception from the travelling support and dictated possession for long spells, but could not prevent another setback for Pep Guardiola’s men, who lost 2-0 to Tottenham last weekend.
City had opportunities to kill the contest before Brighton’s revival. Haaland missed an early one-on-one, scuffing a tame shot at Verbruggen, and later saw a far-post header clawed away. Oscar Bobb also failed to connect properly with Marmoush’s teasing cross, while Rodri skied a chance after pressuring Verbruggen into a poor clearance just before half-time.
Brighton, however, grew stronger as the game wore on. Trafford produced an excellent save to deny Paul van Hecke late on, but could do nothing to stop Gruda’s composed winner.
