The Media Review: Cityzens sunk at the Amex

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

The Sunday reports of our win over City make for brilliant reading.

Nick Szczepanik

2024-11-10T12:00+00:00

Matt O'Riley marked his Premier League debut with the winning goal against the reigning champions. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

The Sunday papers and football websites made for some sweet reading the morning after Albion’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Amex.

For a succinct summary, University of Brighton graduate Ryan Taylor’s opening paragraph for The Sunday Mirror could hardly be bettered, “Fabian Hurzeler's masterful substitutions were ultimately what swung the balance of this pulsating contest,” he wrote. “[Pep] Guardiola’s alarming high defensive line was brutally exposed in the final 20 minutes when Albion striker Joao Pedro levelled before teeing up fellow sub Matt O'Riley to strike the winner. Brighton's infectious energy across the park and cutting edge in the final third showed City exactly what they are currently missing.”

James Gheerbrant agreed in The Sunday Times, writing that “Fabian Hurzeler’s team were gradually overpowered against Liverpool last week but reversed that dynamic here, thanks in no small part to the manager’s substitutes. Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley scored the goals, but the real game-changer was Carlos Baleba, who was equal parts engine and ingenuity at the base of midfield.

Carlos Baleba's introduction during the second half proved to be an inspired decision from Fabian Hurzeler. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

“Brighton began to poke holes in City’s high line and create huge chances. Having failed to finish so many slick moves, they finally breached City with a moment of scruffiness. Mitoma cushioned a lovely pass to Welbeck, who was crowded out by three defenders. But with Rico Lewis on the floor and Gvardiol and Nunes in each other’s way, they couldn’t clear the ball and Pedro dug it out and smashed it past Ederson.

“They scored the winner with a superb, pin-sharp move. Baleba started it and Pedro slipped a delightful ball to O’Riley - playing his first Premier League match after a horrible injury - who beat Ederson with aplomb.”

The Mail on Sunday sent Manchester-based Jack Gaughan south and his verdict on City was that they were “great for half an hour. Average in the middle third. Defensively shot in the last 30 minutes.

“The latter stages were all about Brighton. Hurzeler was saying that he doesn’t want them to be recognised as a smaller club punching up any more and performances like this will help. His message at the break was more patience, ‘to have more self-belief, to have more courage,’ and they listened.

Jack Hinshelwood got on the end of Pervis Estupinan's cross. 📷 by James Boardman.

“Ederson smothered Kaoru Mitoma when clear and stopped Jack Hinshelwood’s free header. Pedro raced past a sleeping Walker only to skew wide. Walker’s demise was transmitting to others and Brighton, sensing that one might turn into two if they could equalise, were on it as City wobbled.”

In The Sunday Telegraph, Sam Wallace also noted that “Kyle Walker at right back had a tough afternoon, first from Kaoru Mitoma and then the matchwinner Joao Pedro, who epitomised the growing confidence of an outstanding Brighton team who came good in the second half with manager Fabian Hurzeler’s bold substitutions. There was another splendid Danny Welbeck performance and Guardiola left the pitch berating the Dutch centre-half Jan Paul van Hecke.

“It was a remarkable night for O’Riley, a London-born Fulham academy graduate and Denmark international who was injured on his Brighton debut and underwent surgery this season. Long tracked by Premier League clubs in his time at Celtic, the midfielder showed great composure to take his chance when Joao Pedro played him in, his own goal stabbed in from close range when Gvardiol and Rico Lewis hesitated. Brighton’s energy was too much for City. The chances had begun to stack up for the home team and at last they took them.”

Ed Aarons of The Observer wrote that “Pep Guardiola looked like he didn’t know what had hit him. A fourth consecutive defeat for the first time in his career will have been especially hard to stomach given how much his side had dominated Brighton in the first half. But a stunning turnaround by Fabian Hürzeler’s side was sparked by João Pedro, who equalised Erling Haaland’s opener before setting up fellow substitute O’Riley five minutes later.

Delight for Joao Pedro after he got Albion on level terms. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

“The Brighton manager had described his first meeting with the reigning Premier League champions as an opportunity for his side to challenge the establishment and he was proud of the way they responded to being forced to chase shadows in the first 45 minutes.

“The introduction of Carlos Baleba for the second half changed the game as City retreated deeper and deeper and Guardiola must have feared the worst. He was right to look concerned as they made an awful mess of clearing Mitoma’s cross and João Pedro pounced on the loose ball to equalise. There was no doubting the quality of the winning goal when a one-two between Welbeck and João Pedro allowed O’Riley to steal the headlines.”

In The Sun on Sunday, Dan King - whose father-in-law is a season-ticket holder in the West Stand Lower - was a lone voice in noting that, “For all the talk about City’s injuries, Brighton have been suffering, too, and without the depth of squad that Guardiola can call upon. With captain Lewis Dunk out, and Baleba and Pedro fit enough only for the bench, Brighton were missing their spine.

“Home boss Fabian Hurzeler called Baleba off the bench at half time, then Pedro and O’Riley, after their various injury problems. And Brighton made their momentum count in the City penalty area. Gvardiol failed to clear and Pedro pounced to score from close range.

“If that goal made the Amex rock, O’Riley’s lifted the roof off. Brighton pinged the ball around like prime City and the midfielder provided the finish the move deserved.”

As so often, BBC Chief football writer Phil McNulty summed it all up, “Brighton’s young manager Fabian Hurzeler ordered a fearless approach from his players, demanding their total belief that they could beat Manchester City. It took a while but they eventually followed his orders to the letter.

“Brighton were tentative in the face of City's renewed excellence early on, but once they got a grip on proceedings, they simply penned the champions back until they could not survive any longer.

“Manchester United and Spurs have already been beaten at the Amex this season, a sign of the confidence Brighton have on their own ground, but this was easily the most impressive victory of Hurzeler’s short reign.”