Here’s Nick Ames’ report from the Amex.
The domestic season is almost over, but there’s always the Euros.
It's @guardian_sport FW Live. In your living room.
— Max Rushden 💙 (@maxrushden) May 18, 2021
Euro Preview Show. me @bglendenning and a host (2) of stars (other panellists).
Thursday June 10th. 7.30pm.https://t.co/sBoWl6cYpw
Graham Potter speaks above the crowd, who are turning the Sussex air blue and white.
Fantastic. To play against the best team, the champions is a wonderful test for us. It helped us with ten men for so long. We were brave with our defending from the start, and great to get the reward. They’re the best team, we had our night tonight. Pleased for the players, and pleased for the supporters. It’s a good way to bring them back.
Full-time: Brighton 3-2 Manchester City
Pep and Potter not so friendly now. There’s words exchanged. It’s been a bruising one for City who lost Gundogan to injury, and had Cancelo sent off. Great comeback from Brighton, and a good game too. And the fans loved it most of all.
90+5 min: Boos, jeers and whistles as Brighton try to pen back Manchester City in their own half. And then cheers as they pull off the win!
90+4 min: Brighton goalkeeper Sanchez is booked for wasting time, and then wastes even more time.
90+3 min: This would be a famous win for Brighton, who beat Liverpool earlier this season. Webster takes a yellow card for the team with a tactical foul, and there is audible relief when the ball is cleared from the resultant free-kick.
90+2 min: Five minutes added on. Sanchez makes a fine save from a rasping Jesus shot and palms the ball away. Eric Garcia speeds in and blasts the ball over. That was a waste.
90 min: Oh no. That Lallana tackle might not have been has fair as first thought. In comes VAR...but Jon Moss’s mind is not poisoned and he City are the victims.
89 min: Lallana outstanding once more, and this time it’s his tackling as he stops Jesus speeding on towards goal.
88 min: Rachit again: “Thanks for the shout-out earlier. It seems churlish to point out the refereeing performance in what has been an exhilarating game, but really that Jesus non-advantage/ Fernandinho yellow sums up the referee’s performance tonight.”
Explainer: When Fernandino got booked, Jesus looked to have been fouled before. City were not happy.
87 min: City look to be running out of legs. This has been a tougher workout than they probably fancied from this game. The better team are winning.
85 min: Bissouma gallops on, Trossard tries to play in Trossard and then Mac Allister blazes a shot that Dias, who has been a one-man defence at times, deflects. Then Zinchenko gets some old-style jeers for a loss of control. Does anybody remember jeers? Well, they are back back back.
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83 min: Fernandinho is booked for a foul on Bissouma. By the way, during the goal chaos, Gabriel Jesus came on for Bernardo.
81 min: Brighton causing havoc with the crossed ball, which may be good news for Olivier Giroud next Saturday.
79 min: Richard Hirst is in: “Good old Grauniad typos, you clearly meant a ribsnorter.”
As an aside: “Ripsnorter is a slang term for an active, wild or exciting person or thing. An example of a ripsnorter is an extreme sports enthusiast who loves to make a lot of noise when celebrating his team’s victory. noun.
Source: dictionary.com
78 min: Mac Allister, another of those attackers who have begun to ravage City, plays the ball to Trossard. His shot cannot beat Ederson at the near post.
Goal! Brighton 3-2 Manchester City (Burn, 76)
Ederson goes on safari outside his box. Chaos descends, and Trossard plays in the ball and Burn, of all people, almost falls over himself but still scores.
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75 min: City force a free-kick in a dangerous area. Mahrez takes with his left and Sanchez reads the ball well to save.
73 min: Lovely noise being heard from the home fans. Webster’s header, by the way, came from great cross from Gross, who has been excellent tonight, in tandem with Trossard and Lallana.
Goal! Brighton 2-2 Manchester City (Webster, 72)
It has been coming. Lallana - again - speeds to the sideline and Rodri has to clear. Webster climbs high to head home for his first goal at home.
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70 min: Ben White has another shot from the edge of the area, and that’s deflected behind. Then Foden fouls Trossard.
68 min: A case in point. Moder spins along, on to a pass from Trossard and the cross fizzes beyond Zeqiri.
67 min: Lallana again, sets up an attack, and Bissouma wallops the ball into the stand. An equaliser may be coming soon. If Brighton had better strikers, they would be really dangerous.
66 min: Brighton pouring it on. And Potter makes another attacking change. Off goes Alzate, and on comes Zeqiri.
64 min: Ederson has to cling on to a Gross cross; it had been good work from Lallana who has made a difference since coming on, and not just to Gundogan’s knee.
62 min: Brighton are making good use of the space granted by their man advantage. They are a decent team to watch at times. Ben White has a shot blocked, and Zinchenko smarts when it smashes off his ribs. That was a ripsnorter,
60 min: Brighton are going for this. Dan Burn has a shot. That’s a rarity - he’s never scored for the club.
59 min: Fernandinho slides in, and sets up an attack. That was a tad brave for another one who is protecting his Champions League final place.
57 min: Some ice and tape going on Gundogan’s knee. He looks a tad concerned, as someone who is not too much of stranger to knee problems. Fingers crossed, he’s had a brilliant season.
55 min: A worry for City. Lallana collides with Gundogan and he does not seem too happy with his knee. Fernandinho comes on instead, and the good news is that Gundogan seems OK. That was precautionary.
54 min: Andrew Benton, also here all season. “I lived not far from the Amex a while ago - it’s sandwiched between the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton. You could say it’s surrounded by bright ‘uns ! “
52 min: It’s been better than expected, it has to be said. Brighton have played their part, and so, according to the City fans, has the referee.
Goal! Brighton 1-2 Manchester City (Trossard, 50)
That was almost as good. Trossard goes on a lengthy run, cuts in from the outside, delays his shot and then whacks in. Both goals had shades of Georgi Kinkladze at his best.
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49 min: Jahanbakhsh goes off, and Adam Lallana comes on. That’s an odd time to make such a sub.
Goal! Brighton 0-2 Manchester City (Foden, 48)
Beautiful, just beautiful. He starts his run deep in his own half, shakes off Ben White and speeds on. He arrives at goal and just pokes in. What a player.
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46 min: Back away we go. Who knows where this magical adventure will end? That’s a paraphrasing of a Kevin Keegan video made in 1995. It featured him down on the farm.
Justin Kavanagh is here all week “Stuart Attwell seems to have bought into Cancelo culture. Sorry, my coat’s already on and I consider myself cancelled for the rest of the season.”
James Thiele, who lists his interests as “Foodie/Chef/Labour/Socialist/MCFC/Art/Photography/Keepingfit/Wellness/Mentalhealth/Curry/Beers/Sustainability/ClimateAction/family/mates/Ancestry/positivevibes” says: “how is that not a red for Brighton? Studs up challenge on Gundogan’s knee?! Peter Walton/John Moss need a new pair of glasses!”
Fancy some chortlesome Euro 2020(1) banter? Then this global live event but be just for you.
Rick Harris gets in touch: “I don’t think City can complain about the sending off. From where the ref is it looks like a foul so he has to decide in an instant. VAR is only supposed to correct the ref if it is a ‘clear and obvious error’ which it isn’t. You win some you lose some. City have had plenty of VAR decisions go their way this season – notably the ridiculous Rodri coming from 10 yards offside against Villa to rob Mings – after which the rule was tampered with.”
Half-time: Brighton 0-1 Manchester City
It’s been far more eventful than expected. A goal after a few seconds then that disputed red card for Joao Cancelo, and some other rough stuff too. It’s been fun, actually.
45+4 min: Bernardo goes down on the edge of the box. The ref waves play on and the home fans boo accordingly.
45+4 min: Peter McNally gets in touch: “Surely the worst refereeing display of the season. A red that wasn’t a red, and an attempt to end a player’s season only gets a yellow.
45+3 min: Pep Guardiola was not impressed by that piece of Ederson showmanship when he took the ball down with his chest. No funny business now.
45+1 min: Five minutes are added on for injuries, subs, red cards and VAR breaks,
45 min: Foden’s corner ends up on the other flank. Jahanbakhsh clears, and then counters. His chip is very ambitious and Ederson controls the ball with his chest.
44 min: Even above the crowd, an angry Pep Guardiola can be heard. He always wants more.
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43 min: Stones concedes a corner. Gross will take, and up go Brighton’s defensive towers. White was just about to whip the ball in but was offside, and robbed by Foden. VAR call? No, Dias had not handled it.
42 min: Stones and Gundogan clear out a Brighton attack and get Phil Foden away before he cuts inside and decides that keeping the ball is the best idea. City try to pick the lock but eventually Bernardo is robbed of possession.
40 min: Jahanbakhsh goes back to tackle an overlapping Zinchenko, who has deliberated as he had nobody to pass to in the centre.
39 min: A White interception plays the ball on to Jahanbakhsh, and it takes a typical piece of quality defending from Ruben Dias to quieten Brighton’s noise.
38 min: Brighton, as ever, look short of a finisher, an attacker of genuine penetration. That’s Graham Potter’s task for the summer, find someone who can score more goals.
36 min: City have been a tad disjointed in attack. It’s perhaps tough to play a false nine when you only have ten players.
34 min: Ben gets in touch: “Completely agree with Rachit, it wasn’t even a foul alone a red card. Welbeck comes from behind Cancelo, who doesn’t see him, hooks arms with Cancelo then throws himself to the ground and brings them both down. If anything it should be a foul on Cancelo or a booking for diving, as the contact was initiated by Welbeck and was never enough to make him collapse like that!”
33 min: Bernardo Silva fouls Bissouma who had got away from him. That looked like what has come to be known as a ‘tactical foul’. And Bernardo does not receive a yellow card for that, either.
31 min: Oh no! Hell of a miss from Gross. Moder speeds down the flank, gets to the byline, and slips the ball inside. Gross falls over himself.
30 min: Tactics corner: Brighton are pressing very high up the pitch.
28 min: Leandro Trossard makes his arrival as a sub. Gundogan does not look happy with that tackle by Jahanbakhsh. Guardiola goes over to check how he is, and seems happy enough that the German can play on.
27 min: Gundogan is down, and caught by Jahanbakhsh. It was high, and a yellow card. Now, what damage has he done to Gundo?
26 min: Big applause for Danny Welbeck, who is out of contract this summer, as he leaves the field. Brighton down to ten men for the moment.
25 min: Danny Welbeck is down, and went down with nobody near him. Looks like a hamstring and that he will now be OUT FOR THE SEASON! (Sunday).
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23 min: What the red card *has* done is make this into an interesting match, an intriguing tactical battle if you will. Brighton always go for it, which may be why Pep likes Graham Potter. He used to like Eddie Howe, too.
At the other end, Ben White’s tackle stops Phil Foden in his tracks. White is one of those players who may be on City’s radar,
21 min: Rachit gets in touch: “I am a bit puzzled by everyone calling it a clumsy Cancelo challenge. Wasn’t it Wellbeck whose arm goes across Cancelo, leading to the eventual entanglement and the subsequent fall. The red card seems like a rubbish decision. While it’s an inconsequential game, the game doesn’t really help itself sometimes.”
18 min: Mahrez, dangerous again, gets space and wins a corner. Sanchez came a long way to claim the ball after Dias heads the ball up.
16 min: It’s all Brighton, that would have been unexpected at the start of the match. Jahanbakhsh fizzes away down the flank but his cross goes over.
14 min: Pep is waiting to make a sub. On comes Eric Garcia, and off goes Ferran Torres, who is not happy.
12 min: Gross’s free-kick follows the hubbub and is deflected behind. Brighton’s fans want this one. Why not?
11 min: Red card confirmed! There are boos for VAR as they have a long look. Did Welbeck have control of the ball? Could he have control of the ball when Cancelo was all over him like a rash?
“Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio.” Ah yes, those fans are back.
Red-card for Cancelo!
Danny Welbeck escapes after Cancelo loses the fight of the ball. It’s a free-kick on the edge of the box. He’s denied a goalscoring opportunity!
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7 min: The TV commentators are mentioning Pep Guardiola’s Oasis karaoke and cigar smoking.
6 min: Danny Welbeck goes close. It was a nice chip, reminiscent of that he chose against Bayern Munich for Manchester United. Or was it Real Madrid. It doesn’t matter too much. He missed here too. And was offside in any case.
5 min: Pascal Gross has Brighton’s first shot, and the ball is knocked behind. He takes the corner too, but Rodri gets that clear.
4 min: Brighton fans giving it the “olé” when their team pass the ball. And boos when City have the ball. Old-school, knockabout stuff.
Goal! Brighton 0-1 Manchester City (Gundogan, 2)
Some Mahrez wizardry on the right, he cuts in a ball to the back post and in steals Gundogan to score. Too easy, far too easy.
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1 min: Away we go. Manchester City and Brighton share the Beatles’ Hey Jude as a pre-match anthem.
“Ci-ty” suits it a bit better than “Brigh-ton”. I think that’s in the vowel sounds you find in the North West and on the South Coast.
Oleks Zinchenko has been speaking to Manchester City’s club channel, and looking back to 2019.
To play in this stadium is always reminding me of that game, the final game of that season when it was against Liverpool in the title. I always try to remember that game We had a lot of emotions here. It’s always nice to be here. We have an unbelievable squad, everyone is fighting to get his chance and his opportunity.
Worth mentioning Kevin de Bruyne being on the bench for Manchester City. He’s back from a thigh injury, and Pep will want to get him match fit for Porto in 11 days.
Vicki, a Brighton fan, gets in touch. “To be fair, I think even most #bhafc fans would say they respect Roy Hodgson. He’s just one of those nice people, isn’t he? Hopefully they get another Frank de Boer in to replace him, however.”
Well, Frank Lampard has been linked. Perhaps that will do you?
Graham Potter speaks to BT Sport. He’s been deep in a sideline chat with Pep Guardiola, possibly discussing whether Be Here Now is as bad as Standing on the Shoulder of Giants or Heathen Chemistry. Graham can recommend some good Weller solo stuff, too.
In some ways it’s the best game. Great for our supporters to see our team test ourselves against the best. Whatever team they play, plays to win. It will be the same tonight, we know that we had we to give everything. We have to entertain these fans, been a long time since they saw us in a football stadium. It’s a celebration. It’s been a a long year. It was nice seeing people coming in. It felt special.
The fans are back: there will be 8,000 in the Amex tonight.
😄 It's been too long.#BHAFC 🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/KraveQdyTt
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 18, 2021
It’s been a day of goodbyes, and Brighton fans will surely wish to offer their best to Roy.
Brighton make one change from the side that drew 1-1 with West Ham as Alexis Mac Allister replaces Leandro Trossard, who is on the bench. Graham Potter names two keepers on the bench, with Christian Walton alongside Jacob Steele. Safety first.
For Manchester City, who beat Newcastle 4-3 on Friday, there’s six changes with Phil Foden recalled. Ederson, Zinchenko, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Riyad Mahrez come in while Ferran Torres retains his place after his hat-trick in that win.
Here are the teams
Brighton: Sanchez, White, Webster, Burn, Gross, Alzate, Bissouma, Moder, Jahanbakhsh, Welbeck, Mac Allister. Subs: Karbownik, Connolly, Trossard, Lallana, Tau, Steele, Caicedo, Zeqiri, Walton.
Manchester City: Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Gundogan, Mahrez, Torres, Foden. Subs: Ake, Gabriel Jesus, Steffen, Laporte, De Bruyne, Mendy, Fernandinho, Garcia, Palmer.
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
Preamble
Let’s be honest here, there’s not too much to play for tonight. Not like the last time City arrived at Brighton in a late-season game, the final day of the season, and needing a win to claim the title. That was two years ago and City won 4-1, to clinch the title by one point from Liverpool. Last season, they won 5-0 at the Amex. The club’s first ever Premier League meeting was both teams’ first match of the 2017-18 season, and City won 2-0. So that makes it 11-1 overall in four season to the globetrotters from the vicinity of Gorton.
For City’s fringe players this may the chance to make themselves a bigger presence on the mind map the size of a school gymnasium that Pep Guardiola, Oasis fan, has been composing ahead of the Champions League final. And for some of Brighton’s players, there may be a chance to show some potential suitors they can make the step up, as well as convince Graham Potter there is no need to look elsewhere. His team have rather crawled over the line to safety, and there is definite improvement to find. Surely next season will not see such a weak trio as Sheffield United, West Brom and Fulham? It can’t, can it?
Kick-off is 7pm, join me.
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