Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 Manchester City: 5 Talking points as ten-men Champions shocked by Seagulls | Premier League 2020-21
Brighton and Hove Albion mounted a memorable comeback from two goals down as they slew champions Manchester City to a 3-2 loss at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday evening. It was only the second away defeat for the Citizens all season, and credit must be given to Graham Potter's men for staging a fight to remember in front of their fans.
Manchester City took a very early lead courtesy of an Ilkay Gundogan header and it felt like another routine win was on the cards for Pep Guardiola and co.
But soon after, Joao Cancelo was given the marching orders as he fouled Danny Welbeck with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Brighton dominated the game thereafter but lacked any serious goal threat. They were completely rejuvenated in the second half, though. Despite going further down to a Phil Foden strike, the Seagulls did not give up and found the back of the net thrice thereafter to seal three massive points.
#5 Leandro Trossard caps a special week with a special goal
Belgian forward Leandro Trossard would have been delighted to have made Roberto Martinez's Belgium squad for the upcoming Euros this summer. It is quite an achievement to make the cut, given Belgium's array of talent in midfield and forward spots, which includes the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.
However, if there were any doubters of the 26-year-old, they've surely been silenced since, courtesy of an extremely well-taken goal against the league's miserliest defense.
Trossard's goal was the turning point of the match as it revived the spirit of the Brighton team after going 0-2 down. He showed great composure to stick with the ball despite attempts from John Stones and Ruben Dias to keep him at bay, and he was also able to find a smashing finish to beat Ederson at his near post.
#4 Brighton's towering defenders too hot for City to handle
A common problem for Manchester City, despite their great success this season, has been their inability to deal with the presence of tall players in their penalty box. For all the talent the City squad possesses, they don't have a plethora of tall players among their ranks, which has often hurt them in the past.
Adam Webster and Dan Burn, who boast an average height of a whopping 6'5", won most of their aerial duels on both ends of the pitch. Unsurprisingly, the pair also found themselves on the scoresheet as they ventured forward in attack to capitalize on their numerical advantage.
Provided the Citizens were a man down and were forced to play Eric Garcia out of position, their inability to deal with players blessed with great height is a cause for serious concern nonetheless.
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