Manchester City ran riot over Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton at the Falmer Stadium to heap pressure on Arsenal on the Premier League title race.
Phil Foden hogged the headlines again with another masterclass performance as the Premier League champions bundled the Seagulls with an emphatic victory.
The visitors got off to a fiery start, effectively clobbering Brighton with a dominant and spirited display. It was just a matter of time before they take the lead as the hosts reeled and cowered under sustained pressure and dangerous offensives.
In the 17th minute, Kevin De Bruyne raced the visitors into the lead after he latched on Kyle Walker’s cross from 10 yards, and delivered a diving header that looped over Brighton goalkeeper Steele into the back of the net.
Nine minutes after De Bruyne’s brilliant header, Phil Foden doubled the lead for the visitors. The England sensation scored a powerful freekick from 20 yards, thanks to a deflection on Pascal Gross which left Steele wrong-footed.
Four minutes after the half-hour, Foden was on target again for the Cityzens. Bernardo Silva set up the Three Lions star for his second goal after he intercepted a poor back pass by Barco and served it on a plate for the 23-year-old. It was another brilliant finish for the youngster, who made no mistake firing it past Steele to bag his brace and extend the lead.
City were definitely cruising to victory with Brighton making little attempt to mount a comeback. They were completely dominated by the visitors.
The frustration writ large on Roberto De Zerbi’s face as the Seagulls fell easily, going down by three unreplied goals at the break.
The second half was no different with City maintaining their dominant performance despite leading by three goals.
Brighton appealed for a penalty in the 47th minute when Rodri brought down Gross in the box but the referee waved off the incident.
Two minutes after the hour-mark, Julian Alvarez compounded the hosts’ woes when he scored to make it 4-0.
In the 70th minute, Brighton made another claim for a penalty when Joao Pedro was clipped down by Gvardiol in the box after the hosts’ offensive but they were turned down again.
The game ended with Manchester City easing to a deserved 4-0 win to close the gap on Arsenal to one point with a game in hand.
