Erling Haaland likened himself to a ‘zombie’ on the pitch, proving Brighton’s costly lapse of attention in Manchester City’s 2-1 victory on Saturday. Haaland, who had endured a goalless streak in his previous three matches with just one shot in his last two Premier League appearances, made Brighton pay a hefty toll with a clinical long-range strike to double City’s lead.
Manchester City seized an early advantage with a sublime one-touch finish by Julian Alvarez, set up by Jeremy Doku’s dazzling run that continually troubled Brighton. Although Brighton later mounted a comeback, led by Ansu Fati reducing the deficit and Kaoru Mitoma causing havoc for City’s Kyle Walker, time was running out. Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji received a second booking, adding tension, but with only two minutes of added time remaining, they clung on to regain their position atop the Premier League, if only briefly.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fought back to preserve their unbeaten record in the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Chelsea, a result they arguably didn’t merit. Arsenal fell behind early when Cole Palmer converted from the penalty spot, following William Saliba’s handball from Mykhailo Mudryk’s header off Raheem Sterling’s cross.
David Raya was at fault for Chelsea’s second goal as Mudryk’s cross found the net, eluding the goalkeeper’s reach just three minutes into the second half. Raya’s mistake seemed to unnerve him further, nearly offering Palmer another chance when he played a risky pass directly to the forward, who couldn’t capitalize.
At that juncture, few Arsenal players could take pride in their performance. However, Arsenal found a lifeline thanks to Robert Sanchez, the opposing goalkeeper, whose errant clearance found Declan Rice, allowing him to score from long-range.
The comeback was finalized when Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard combined, with the returning English winger delivering a cross for the Belgian to slot home at the far post, sending the visiting fans into wild celebration.
Manchester City performance and stats
Manchester City
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
Manchester City is currently 1st in the Champions League with 6 points.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 6 goals and conceding 2.
Manchester City will play the next match in Champions League against Young Boys on Wednesday 25th of October in Bern. The prediction is Manchester City winning the match.
Arsenal performance and stats
Arsenal
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
Arsenal is currently 2nd in the Champions League with 3 points.
In the last 2 games, it has won once and lost once. In its last match, Arsenal lost 2-1 against Lens.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 5 goals and conceding 2.
Arsenal will play the next match in Champions League against Sevilla on Tuesday 24th of October in Sevilla. The prediction is Arsenal winning the match.
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