Albion Analytics: Breaking down the win over Manchester City

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Albion secured a 2-1 win over City on Sunday.

Liam Tharme

Albion Analytics

2025-09-03T06:00+01:00

Georginio Rutter was one of the four substitutes that were introduced after an hour. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Brighton recorded their first Premier League win of 2025/26 with a comeback victory at home to Manchester City.

The result means Fabian Hurzeler’s side have taken four points from their opening two matches at the Amex this season, continuing an impressive trend from last campaign — where they only lost three league games at home, and took 32 points, the joint-seventh most in the division.

It also means the Albion are unbeaten in the past ten games (W8, D2) when ‘Big Six’ opposition have come to the Amex in the Premier League, last tasting home defeat against such a team back in December 2022.

Brajan Gruda struck in the 89th minute to win it for Albion. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

In fact, regardless of venue, they have won 11 times in their last 17 meetings with ‘Big Six’ teams, and only lost twice in that run.

Brighton were able to show a different side to their game, winning with only 37% possession — just the third time since the start of 2022/23 that they have ran out winners and had under 40% of the ball, including a 3-0 home win over Chelsea last season (31%) and a home win on matchday one of the 2022/23 campaign against Manchester United (38%).

It was yet another comeback win for Hurzeler. Brighton’s seven wins and 26 points from losing positions are the most of any Premier League team since the 32-year-old arrived last summer.

“Pep is the best coach in the world and it is always a big challenge to face and compete against him,” Hurzeler said after. “He always had new ideas and you have to adapt.” Hurzeler has proved he is capable of doing just that.

He is one of just five coaches to have faced Guardiola multiple times and boast a winning record. Brighton beat City by the same scoreline at the Amex last season (another comeback win) and drew 2-2 at the Etihad earlier this year.

Arne Slot, Ruben Amorim, Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp are the other four managers on that list, while Hurzeler is only the fourth head coach to go unbeaten in their first three matches versus Guardiola — Kurban Berdyev (Rubin Kazan), Roberto Di Matteo (Chelsea and Schalke) and Ronald Koeman (Everton) are the others.

Considering Albion lost 12 of their first 14 Premier League meetings with City, it is a sign of their progress and capacity to play up against top opposition. Only Liverpool (1), Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa (all 2) have lost fewer top-flight home games since the start of 2023-24 than Brighton (3).

That Brighton’s route back into the game was a penalty continued another trend. It is their tenth penalty won since the start of last season (a Premier League high), and nine of those have been converted, with James Milner the fourth different penalty goalscorer for the club in that time.

The goal means Milner has now scored a Premier League goal in the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, and becomes the second-oldest goalscorer in competition history (aged 39 years, 7 months and 27 days). Incredibly, Milner is still the second-youngest Premier League goalscorer too, one of only four players to net in the competition before their 17th birthday — back in 2002.

The former England international continued to be a good-luck charm too, extending his run of not losing in Premier League games in which he has scored to 55 (44 wins, 11 draws). Only Gabriel Jesus (62) can better that.

Fabian Hurzeler made four substitutions at once during the City game, which proved to be the turning point. 📷 by James Boardman.

Hurzeler was full of praise for his subs afterwards — the quadruple sub on 61 minutes had the desired effect — particularly because of how they “made the difference.” The 15 goals scored by Brighton substitutes last season was the second-most behind Fulham (17), while, versus City, Milner and Brajan Gruda both came off the bench to score.