Manchester City Slip Again with Second Straight Premier League Defeat

Manchester City have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League after falling 2-1 to an inspired Brighton & Hove Albion side at the Amex Stadium. This follows last week’s loss to Tottenham and signals a rocky start to the new campaign for Pep Guardiola’s men, despite their opening day thrashing of Wolves.

Things looked to be going to plan for the defending champions when Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the 34th minute, latching onto a clever assist from Omar Marmoush to fire City into the lead.

But the tide turned midway through the second half. Brighton were awarded a penalty after a VAR review, and veteran midfielder James Milner — once a Manchester City player himself — stepped up and calmly slotted it home. For the former Liverpool man, it was more than just a goal — it was personal.

Then came the twist. In the 89th minute, Brighton’s breakout star Gruda netted a late winner, sending the home crowd into raptures and condemning City to a second consecutive league defeat — something rarely seen during the Guardiola era.

2025-26, England - Premier League

Brighton - Manchester City 2:1 (0:1)
Goals: Håland E., 34 (0:1); Milner, 67 (penalty) (1:1); Gruda, 89 (2:1)

Brighton: Verbruggen; Dunk; van Hecke; De Cuyper; Veltman; Hinshelwood (Ayari, 61); Baleba (Milner, 61); Mitoma; Gomez D. (Gruda, 61); Minteh (Coppola, 95); Welbeck (Rutter, 61)
Substitution: Milner (from 61); Ayari (from 61); Gruda (from 61); Rutter (from 61); Coppola (from 95)
Bench: Steele; Boscagli; O`Riley; Kadioglu
Yellow Cards: van Hecke 16; Veltman 77

Manchester City: Trafford; Stones; Aït-Nouri; Khusanov (Dias R., 85); Reijnders; Rodri; Bernardo Silva (O'Reilly, 72); Matheus Nunes (Lewis R., 85); Bobb; Marmoush (Doku J., 72); Håland E.
Substitution: O'Reilly (from 72); Doku J. (from 72); Dias R. (from 85); Lewis R. (from 85)
Bench: Ederson; Ake; Akanji; Nico González; Gundogan
Yellow Cards: Khusanov 63; Aït-Nouri 69