Manchester City 3-1 Brighton: Yaya Toure’s Etihad Farewell Ends On A Positive Note
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City shattered a few records as they beat Brighton 3-1 to ensure Yaya Toure’s Etihad farewell went in style.
Goals from Danilo, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho sealed the three points in the Ivorian’s farewell match. With the 3-1 win against the Seagulls, the Cityzens achieved the record for most wins, most goals and most points ever in a Premier League season.
With the Blues donning the new 2018/19 home kit, Danilo opened the scoring early on as he latched on to Leroy Sane’s beautiful through pass. Despite City’s dominance, Brighton surprisingly equalised through Leandro Ulloa, who headed in from a Davy Propper cross.
However, Bernardo Silva’s 34th-minute goal set a new Premier League record of 104 goals scored.
The second-half began just like how the first one ended, with City dominant. However, Brighton should have levelled just before the hour-mark when Jose Izquierdo’s low shot was kept out by Claudio Bravo.
However, City put the game to bed when Fernandinho finished off a short corner routine that saw City win 3-1 with them now scoring 105 goals and counting.
Toure, playing his last ever home game at the Etihad Stadium, was given an emotional goodbye after being substituted with seven minutes remaining.
Manchester City player ratings
Claudio Bravo – 3/10
Bravo was sluggish to react for the Brighton equaliser when all he needed was to stop the cross. He was erratic with his distribution, while his handling almost handed the away team the second goal.
Danilo – 7/10
Danilo made a fantastic run on the right to receive Leroy Sane’s through ball and open the scoring. He hit the bar and was a lively presence on the right.
Vincent Kompany – 6/10
Kompany had a field day in the first half as Brighton rarely threatened, barring the equaliser.
Aymeric Laporte – 6/10
Laporte’s passing and crosses were crisp. He settled down well after a shaky start as the game wore on.
Oleksandr Zinchenko- 6/10
Starting at left-back, Zinchenko was defensively very good. Being a natural attacker, his versatility to play in the defence shows his true value.
Yaya Toure – 9/10
It was the old Yaya Toure in front of his beloved City fans. The Ivorian turned the clock with some marauding runs through the middle. He kept things simple and tidy as every ball he received was met by huge cheers from City fans. A loyal servant of the club bid farewell on a happy note. What a player!
Fernandinho – 8/10
Fernandinho was his usual self, breaking up attacks and creating chances after chances for his teammates. He capped off the night with a lovely goal.
Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10
When he is on song, Gundogan is one of the thrilling midfielders to watch. He brings a lot of stability to City’s midfield with his excellent passing abilities.
Bernardo Silva – 8/10
Twinkle-footed Silva ran the show against the Seagulls. His poise and footwork were simply a delight to watch and he smashed in City’s second goal with aplomb.
Gabriel Jesus – 5/10
Worked diligently as he was tasked with leading City’s attack. However, his touch deserted him at times and never really threatened Brighton.
Leroy Sane – 9/10
Excellent! The nippy German was a constant menace and bagged the assist for all the three goals. A real asset for City!
Substitutes
Benjamin Mendy – 4/10
He made a cameo appearance after replacing Zinchenko.
Brahim Diaz – N/A
Diaz hardly had any time to impact the game.
Lukas Nmecha – N/A
Came on for the emotional Toure but had little time to do anything.