Brighton vs Manchester City: Late 89th‑Minute Winner Seals Premier League Shock
Sep, 5 2025
A night of swings at the Amex
Brighton waited until the 89th minute to flip Manchester City’s night upside down. In a match that started with City control and an Erling Haaland milestone, the Amex finished roaring as Brajan Gruda drilled in a late winner to seal a 2-1 comeback. The Brighton vs Manchester City showdown had everything a September fixture can carry: a heavyweight wobble, a ruthlessly taken chance, and a home crowd sensing a scalp as the clock ticked down.
On his 100th Premier League appearance, Haaland did what Haaland does. He gave City the lead in the 34th minute, finishing cleanly from inside the box after a rapid move sparked by Rayan Ait-Nouri’s aggressive press high up the pitch. Omar Marmoush threaded a clever pass through Lewis Dunk’s legs, and Haaland met it with a punchy finish from around ten yards. It was classic City in the first half hour: quick steals, direct angles, and their number nine in stride.
Brighton had their warning signs early. City’s tempo pinned them back in spells, and Haaland kept Bart Verbruggen busy. The Norwegian first tested the keeper with a tame effort after racing onto a Tijjani Reijnders through ball, then dragged another shot wide under pressure. When a far-post header looked certain, Verbruggen scrambled across to claw it off the line. At that stage, City were sharper in the box and faster between the lines.
Even so, Brighton carved the game’s first clear chance. Kaoru Mitoma broke the offside trap and forced James Trafford into a full-stretch save, the City keeper judging the angle and getting strong hands to the shot. That moment told you Brighton were not just sitting in. They were picking spots to run at City’s reshaped back line and did not panic after falling behind.
This night also carried a subplot that matters for City’s season. Rodri started his first league match since September 2024 after a long knee layoff. His return brought calm in phases and gave City their familiar rhythm in the first half, but he is still getting back into full flow. The timing of his touches improved as the match wore on, yet City’s grip loosened once Brighton settled into their second-half pattern and tightened the press.
Brighton’s equalizer changed the tone. James Milner, the veteran who has seen just about every Premier League twist, stepped up from the penalty spot and made it 1-1. No fuss in his run-up, no doubt in the finish. The award put City on the back foot, and from then on, the home side carried the sharper edge in duels and second balls. Milner’s cool was a reminder of why managers trust experience in frantic moments.
From there, the shift felt visible all over the pitch. Brighton’s wide players attacked early, not allowing City’s fullbacks time to set. The midfield got tighter to Rodri and Reijnders, forcing City to play around rather than through. With the crowd rising, Brighton started to win transitions in City’s half, where the match had looked comfortable for the champions-in-waiting during the first 45 minutes.
Haaland remained the clear threat, lurking on the shoulder and darting into pockets, but service grew patchy. Marmoush continued to offer movement and industry, while Ait-Nouri pushed high when he could. The problem was the speed of Brighton’s counter-press after turnovers. City were shoved into wider channels and had fewer clean looks at Verbruggen’s goal.
Then came the late twist. At 89 minutes, Gruda found the moment City feared. Brighton worked the ball into the box with composure and pace, and the winger finished with the kind of crisp strike that turns a solid point into a statement win. The reaction inside the ground told the story. This was not smash-and-grab, and it was not a fluke. Brighton earned the right to chase all three points and then executed under pressure.
For City, the defeat lands awkwardly. They opened the campaign with a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, then slipped 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur, and now this. Two defeats in three league matches is the kind of start that invites scrutiny. The talent is still heavy, but the balance is new, and the relationships are still forming after a summer of change.
That summer business is in focus now. City leaned into a refresh, bringing in younger legs and different profiles. Reijnders adds progressive passing and timing from midfield. Ait-Nouri offers width, recovery pace, and a pressing spark from fullback. Marmoush gives them a hard-running forward who can play off Haaland, stretch lines, and press from the front. Trafford’s shot-stopping was on show here, and his distribution will matter in games where City try to draw teams onto them. These are good pieces, but they still need rhythm together. Defending transitions and protecting central spaces remain the test with so many new moving parts.
Rodri’s comeback should change their ceiling over the long run. He sets the tempo, plugs gaps, and knows when to kill a counter. Here, he had control in spells but could not mute Brighton’s second-half surge. That is not surprising in a first league start in almost a year. The larger question is how quickly City can knit together the rest of the spine around him.
This loss also underlines something the league knows well by now: Brighton are not an easy out. Since arriving in the top flight in 2017, they have built around smart recruitment and a clear playing identity. Verbruggen’s reflex saves, Dunk’s positioning, and Mitoma’s direct running are the familiar pillars. Add in Milner’s decision-making in key moments and Gruda’s punch out wide, and you have a mix of savvy and spark that causes problems for even the elite.
The penalty was the pivot. Once level, Brighton played with more authority. They squeezed City’s build-up, denied easy switches, and turned loose balls into quick attacks. The timing of their pressure mattered; they stepped up just as City looked to settle after a flurry of subs and a tiring front line. Small details, big outcome.
City still produced half-chances. A couple of scrappy sequences almost fell to Haaland at the near post. A late delivery asked questions of the Brighton back line. But the final pass did not land and the finishing angles were tight. On nights like this, the margin shrinks, and if the set pieces and knocks off defenders do not break your way, you pay.
Beyond the scoreline, the game showed two teams living different early-season stories. Brighton are building momentum, banking points, and trusting their structure to carry them. City are recalibrating. That does not mean crisis; it means detail. How do they protect the wide lanes when fullbacks push high. Who steps in to break up play when Rodri drifts forward. What is the best balance between Marmoush’s movement and Haaland’s penalty-box gravity. These are solvable questions, but the league punishes slow answers.
Haaland’s milestone deserved more from a City perspective. It was a classic center-forward night from him in the first half, bending runs, bullying his way into space, and demanding the ball early. The finishing touch for the goal was clean and ruthless. The second half fed him less, which spoke to Brighton’s block narrowing and their midfield making City go around rather than straight through. Even then, you felt one clean cross might change everything. It never came.
For Brighton, the collective stood out. Verbruggen delivered the saves that keep you alive in matches like this. Dunk managed the box and kept the line steady under pressure. Mitoma’s runs stretched City and forced Trafford into that early headline stop. Milner read the game as if he could see it from the gantry. Gruda had the nerve at the decisive moment. When those parts click, this club looks exactly like the consistent Premier League side they have become.
The timing of this result matters too. Early September often brings the first hard reset of a season. Teams head into the first international window either buoyed by belief or sorting out what went wrong. Brighton will lock in the feeling of a comeback against a heavyweight. City will comb through the tape, look at the tempo drop after the break, and get back to basics around transitions and set-piece pressure.
What should City take from this. First, there is no need for panic. The spine is still strong, and the new signings fit the plan. But the league is less forgiving now, and opponents sense that if you can turn City, you can rattle them. Second, Rodri’s steady return gives them a foundation, yet they will need sharper distances around him when the press is beaten. Third, chances for Haaland are still coming in bunches, which means the goals will, too, once the supply lines regain their edge.
And what about Brighton. This win ratifies their approach. They can suffer for long stretches and still threaten. They can mix a patient build with a quick-jab counter. They can lean on experience without losing speed. Beating City from behind is a statement, not just a headline. It suggests they can handle the mix of styles this league throws at them from week to week.
City’s schedule will get heavier soon, and depth will be tested across competitions. That is usually where they find rhythm and start stacking wins. But the gap between best and the rest keeps narrowing, and nights like this show why a slow start can carry longer shadows than it used to. For Brighton, the table will feel friendlier heading into the break, the performance will feel even better, and the belief will be loud all week on the south coast.
What it means for City and Brighton
For City, two defeats in three matches strips away the cushion that usually surrounds a title favorite. The points will come if the patterns return, but this league does not wait. The new faces must blend with the old fast, and small errors in midfield spacing or box defending cannot linger. Rodri’s minutes will climb, and that should help the flow. Haaland looks sharp. The rest needs to catch up.
For Brighton, this is the kind of result that reinforces the dressing room and sharpens the training ground. Verbruggen’s stops, Milner’s nerve, Dunk’s control, Mitoma’s threat, Gruda’s finish. Those are takeaways you can build on. They have become a club that treats days like this as part of the plan, not a miracle. That is how you stay in the top half and aim higher when chances come.