Brighton 0-1 Manchester City – Premier League: Mitoma bundles the ball over the line just moments after Foden’s goal… but it’s disallowed for handball
Follow Mail Sport’s live blog for the Premier League clash between Brighton and Manchester City.
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41mins: Enciso is back at it again! He’s just picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch, turned and broken away. City knew he was clear and Silva made a tactical foul to prevent him going any further. As a result, the City star was shown a yellow card.
WHAT A STRIKE! That was a sensational strike from Enciso. The confidence and ability from the youngster to put that in the back of the net! Wow.
Enciso picked the ball up from 20, maybe 25, yard out from goal and unleashed an absolute rocket into the top right corner.
36mins: Chance for Brighton! Lovely foot work from Buonanotte sees him break into the City box and unleash a shot at goal. However, Ortega does well to get down and make the save.
35mins: Chance for Brighton! Estupinan fires the ball in from the left-hand-side, with the ball falling to Buonanotte at the back post. However, he wasn’t expecting it and ended up fluffing his attempt! He’ll be disappointed with that.
34mins: Some lovely defending from Brighton prevents City from scoring a second. Lewis looks to play a give-and-go with Haaland on the edge of the box but Caicedo does well to shut it down.
31mins: As expected, Brighton’s goal has been chalked off. It’s the right decision, it was clear that Mitoma had handled the ball over the line.
30mins: What a messy goal! But, it looks like Mitoma has bundled it home for Brighton. However, the City players are appealing for handball – which looks pretty obvious to me!
Foden has quite the record against Brighton. As it stands, Foden has six Premier League goals against the Seagulls – at least twice as many as he has against any other side. However, not too sure if he’ll score anymore today as he mentioned to the bench that he had an issue with his Achilles.
25mins: Phil Foden finds the back of the net to give City the advantage. Haaland picked up the ball on the right-hand-side of the box, drew the defenders in and slipped it to Foden at the back post. The England star did well to slot it home from a couple of yards out.
20mins: Chance for Haaland! City go straight down the other end with Foden picking the ball up on the left-hand-side before finding Haaland in the centre. The striker looked like he was going to round the keeper but instead ran straight into him.
BRIGHTON HIT THE BAR! Welbeck comes close to finding the back of the net for Brighton after striking to cross bar from his set piece. It’s safe to say… Ortega was never going to get there.
18mins: Gilmour earns Brighton their third free-kick of the game. City are looking a little sloppy – perhaps they’re still mentally and physically hungover from their title winning party!
17mins: It was Gross who stood over Brighton’s free-kick after drawing a foul from Rodri. . His low effort beat Manchester City’s wall but it was a pretty easy save for Ortega in the end.
16mins: Brighton earn their second free-kick of the evening just outside of the box. It came after Rodri took down Enciso – who was looking to play a quick 1-2 with Welbeck on the corner of the box.
14mins: Brighton are calling for a penalty after Ortega’s poor first touch landed him in trouble. The goalkeeper struggled to control a back pass – which encouraged Caicedo to spring out from Brighton’s press. As a result, Ortega went to ground to make a tackle. Caicedo went down and Brighton called for a penalty but the ref was having none of it.
12mins: Brighton are setting a high press but City are doing well to play through and find the space in behind. Foden has been particularly good in doing this – breaking lines every time he gets on the ball.
10mins: Chance for Brighton! Brighton work their way into the City box once again. This time it is Gilmour who looks to get a shot away. However, he couldn’t get much behind it – making it an easy save for Ortega.
8mins: Chance for Brighton! Welbeck picks up the ball on the right-hand-side of the box. However, he hesitates giving Foden time to get back and make the block – sending the ball out for a corner.
7mins: Foden causing more problems down the left-hand-side. He picks up the ball out on the flank, cuts infield and finds Haaland. However, the Norwegian striker couldn’t quite get hold of the pass.
5mins: Bright start from Foden. He’s just picked the ball up on the edge of the box, beaten his player and played a lovely ball across the goal mouth to Haaland. However, Haaland couldn’t keep his header down and it went flying over the bar.
4mins: City have their first break of the game. Walker darts down the right-hand-side before playing the ball into the box. He over cooks it but Foden does well to keep it in play and find Haaland. Haaland looks to connect with a volley but couldn’t quite get to it.
3mins: Brighton are winning the majority of the 50/50 battles. They look hungrier and I’m not surprised. I had a feeling City would be a little slow to start after picking up the Premier League title against Chelsea.
2mins: Brighton earn themselves their first free-kick of the game after a clumsy City foul on the left-hand-side of the pitch. Brighton whip the ball into the box but City managed to clear with relative ease.
1min: Brighton are pressing City relatively high. They are looking to turn the ball over in the pockets and although City look comfortable, they aren’t as sharp as perhaps Pep Guardiola would like.
And… just like that, we are underway. It is Manchester City who have kicked off proceedings this evening. City will be looking to build on their momentum after winning the Premier League title. While Brighton are eager to claim points to finish their season well.
Brighton have formed a guard of honour to pay tribute to Manchester City’s Premier League title triumph. A nice gesture but City must stay professional and keep their eyes on the prize this evening.
Pep Guardiola has said the reason why Jack Grealish is not playing this evening is because he picked up an injury during Manchester City’s clash with Chelsea. He said City will be keeping tabs on how he recovers over the next few days.
We are just 10 minutes away from the action. Make sure you stay tuned to get all the latest updates from this evening’s Premier League fixture.
He said: ‘Absolutely [I expected him to score these goals] what a player. He doesn’t care about touching the ball all the time he just wants to hurt every team he plays against. It is very important you stay on your toes. He has to step up tonight, score goals and be ready for the final.’
He said: ‘I think it’s difficult to put a ceiling on Roberto and the club, that’s the exciting thing. Roberto is constantly pushing to be better, he’s always spoken about Europe being an objective.’
When asked how they secured the services of Roberto, Weir said: ‘It was a shock when Graham left, he was fantastic in terms of what he did for the club. We had to react quickly, fortunately we had a shortlist. We had to see who was available, fortunately Roberto was available, we were able to get him over quickly. He blew us away straight away.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Lewis said: ‘Not really [it has not sunk in] no you don’t get much time for it to sink in but all my focus is on today’s match.
‘For me it is a great opportunity to show what I can do in games that are tough like today. Treat it like any other game, ultimately come out with a good performance. Perhaps the result is not as important seen as though we have won the league.’
Brighton lead the race for James Milner – but an emotional return to Leeds could be on the cards should the Yorkshire club avoid relegation.
The veteran Liverpool midfielder is leaving Anfield at the end of this season and Mail Sport understands there are a number of offers on the table.
Thanks to their league position, the high-flying Seagulls are viewed as the likeliest winners of the battle for the 37-year-old ex-England man.
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Roberto De Zerbi believes Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister ‘deserve to play in another level’ but hopes European football can convince the in-demand duo to stick with Brighton.
Ecuador international Caicedo and Argentina World Cup winner Mac Allister continue to be heavily linked with summer transfers following standout seasons in Sussex.
Albion potentially strengthened their hopes of retaining two of their star performers by securing continental qualification with Sunday’s 3-1 Premier League win over relegated Southampton.
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Brighton‘s players and staff will reportedly received a 20 per cent bonus after the Seagulls qualified for a European competition for the first time in its history.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side will almost certainly finish sixth and be in the Europa League next term due to their goal difference being significantly better than Aston Villa‘s but need one more point to banish any prospect of slipping into the Europa Conference League.
The confirmation of European football next season has led to club owner, Tony Bloom, to reward over 1,000 staff with a 20 per cent one-off annual salary increase for the brilliant achievement.
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Roberto De Zerbi told Brighton supporters to get their passports ready but warned the club must continue improving ahead of their maiden European campaign next season.
Evan Ferguson netted twice in the first half of Albion’s 3-1 victory over Southampton in front of a sold-out Amex Stadium, where Pascal Gross restored the two-goal advantage following Mohamed Elyounoussi’s header for the relegated Saints.
The three points assured De Zerbi’s side would not finish lower than seventh, in the Europa Conference League spot, though a sixth-place finish and a Europa League berth are all but mathematically guaranteed.
‘Today is difficult for me because with my English I can’t explain my emotion,’ said the Italian manger, who succeeded Graham Potter in September.
‘I think we deserve this. The club, the players, me, my staff, and the fans, they have to organise their passports to travel in Europe next year because we have to grow together.’
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Speaking ahead of the game, Guardiola said: ‘It’s over [the celebrations after winning the Premier League]. The players went out that night. Naturally we’re going to drop something with no stress.
‘You have two finals around the corner, we tried yesterday and today to take it seriously. All of them are in my plans, the few thoughts I have for the final can change during the week, we will see game by game.’
Starting XI: Steele, Colwill, Gross, Welbeck, Enciso, Mitoma, Caicedo, Gilmour, Van Hecke, Estupinan, Buonanotte.
Substitutes: McGill, Webster, Dunk, Mac Allister, Undav, Ayari, Ferguson, Veltman, Peupion.
Starting XI: Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Rodrigo, Lewis, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Haaland.
Substitutes: Ederson, Phillips, Alvarez, Gomez, Charles, O’Reilly, Palmer, Robertson, Knight
🔵 TEAM NEWS 🐝
XI | Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Rodrigo, Lewis, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Haaland
SUBS | Ederson, Phillips, Alvarez, Gomez, Charles, O’Reilly, Palmer, Robertson, Knight#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide pic.twitter.com/OtVP1IhkyW
The Manchester City boss has said: ‘He’s getting better, I don’t know if he will arrive for tomorrow or for Brentford but he is in the last stage [of his recovery].
‘We have to be careful with the second time he is injured and we have to make sure he’s fit in case we need him for United and Inter.’
Guardiola says his side must be ready if they want to win the treble. He’s said: ‘I think the best way to prepare the finals is to be ready. We will have days off and relaxed training sessions but these players have set standards and we have to maintain it.
‘It’s normal to drop because we have played for the Premier League being behind Arsenal, and with the Champions League away in Munich and with Madrid the energy we spent was massive. It’s normal to drop once you lift the trophy but we can’t drop much.’
Manchester City have had five England call-ups today. The likes of John Stones, Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have all been selected by Gareth Southgate for their upcoming qualifiers. The full squad is below…
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Sam Johnstone.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Lewis Dunk, Marc Guehi, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker.
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, James Maddison, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice.
Forwards: Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Callum Wilson.
The striker has said: ‘The environment allows me to be myself every day. There are hungry people around me that want to become better every single day and want to help me to become better every single day.
‘That is where everything starts from. From Pep to the physios to everyone, we want to help each other. We want to have a good time together and we want to make every single person in the club better. That is the most important thing.’
Guardiola appears to have backtracked on whether he would quit Manchester City if the club won an unprecedented treble over the next few weeks.
Having sealed the Premier League last weekend, Man City have the FA Cup final against Manchester United on the first Saturday of June, and the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul a week later.
Guardiola, 52, previously insisted that he would not leave the Etihad, even if his side achieved ultimate success in all three tournaments.
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A huge security operation is planned for the first all-Manchester FA Cup final to keep rival fans apart on the journey to Wembley and prevent a repeat of violent scenes 12 years ago.
National rail strikes mean the majority of the 90,000 sell-out crowd will travel by road in 10 days’ time, with a convoy of 160 official coaches ferrying Manchester United and Manchester City fans to North London.
The two clubs have worked closely with the FA and safety groups to draw up detailed plans ensuring supporters leave from different points in Manchester and use designated red and blue service stations on the way to Wembley.
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Erling Haaland and his girlfriend Isabel Johansen wore matching sky blue pyjamas as they led Manchester City‘s celebrations after the team won their third straight Premier League title.
City were crowned champions on Saturday following Nottingham Forest‘s 1-0 victory over Arsenal, but had to wait 24 hours until they could properly celebrate after beating Chelsea on Sunday.
After beating the Blues 1-0 and lifting the trophy at the Etihad Stadium, the players and their partners headed over to the private club MNKY HSE in Manchester to party into the early hours.
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Kevin De Bruyne and wife Michele Lacroix appeared in fine spirits at Manchester City’s title party on Sunday despite Thierry Henry’s claim that the midfielder is playing through a ‘private’ personal issue off the field.
City were crowned Premier League champions for the fifth time in six years over the weekend, with Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday ensuring Pep Guardiola’s men retained their title.
After lifting the trophy following a 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, the celebrations continued as City players and their respective partners headed to private club MNKY HSE in Manchester to party into the early hours.
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Pep Guardiola insists he will not be tempted to walk away from Manchester City even if they land the Treble.
The City manager also said the club’s pending Premier League charges for financial breaches, which he wants resolved ‘as soon as possible’, will have no bearing on the length of his stay at the Etihad Stadium.
With the Premier League title in the bag and an FA Cup final against Manchester United and Champions League final against Inter Milan to come, Guardiola could become only the second manager in English football history to win the three biggest trophies available in one season.
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The City players were forced to flee the Etihad pitch following their win over Chelsea on Sunday. Immediately after the full-time whistle, thousands of fans swarmed onto the pitch and ran towards City players in delight.
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne jogged towards the tunnel before being escorted off amid security concerns, leaving fans in the upper tiers unhappy.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said on Sky Sports: ‘There’s a lot of booing from the fans in the upper tier, they want those people off the pitch to allow the celebrations to happen, but that’s going to take a while.’
Rival fans also took to social media to condemn the pitch invasion, with some labelling their actions as ’embarrassing’ and ‘forced’
One fan tweeted: ‘That was the most cringe and forced pitch invasion ever. Even their own fans were booing.’ Another added: ‘City fans, if you win it during the match then yeah pitch invasion makes sense but you guys won it yesterday ??! Have some shame. embarrassing.’
Pep Guardiola’s side secured a 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday – having already won the Premier League title after Arsenal’s loss to Nottingham Forest. The fans were ecstatic and swarmed the pitch immediately after the full-time whistle.
Hello and welcome to this evening’s Premier League fixture between Brighton and Manchester City. It is likely that Pep Guardiola will rote his squad for this evening’s Premier League fixture with Brighton as his side have already picked up the title. However, Brighton will still be gunning to secure Europa League football. So, make sure you stay tuned…
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