Man City vs Brighton live score, updates, stats as a Phil Foden bags a brace at the Amex

Manchester City look to remain in control of the Premier League title race as they travel to meet Brighton in the Premier League on Thursday.

Pep Guardiola heads to the Amex Stadium with a four-point deficit in the table, trailing Arsenal, but City are only a point behind Liverpool, who surprisingly lost against Everton in the Merseyside Derby.

City have two games in hand on the leaders, and the destination of the title is in their hands with just a few matches left in the season.

They will have to progress today without talisman striker Erling Haaland, who misses out for a second straight match after failing to prove fit for the FA Cup semifinal win over Chelsea on the weekend. Julian Alvarez is as capable of a fill-in, but still the absence of their superstar striker will be notable.

Brighton sit 11th in the table, with very little to play for the rest of the way and a lengthy injury list for Roberto De Zerbi to deal with before heading into a summer where he could be in play for a collection of managerial openings.

The Sporting News is following the Brighton vs Man City match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.

Man City vs Brighton live score

 
Score (HT)
Goalscorers
Man City
3
De Bruyne (17′),

Foden (26′, 33′)
Brighton
0
–
Kickoff: 8 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)

Location: American Express Stadium (Brighton, England)

Referee: Jarred Gillett

Starting lineups:

Brighton (4-2-3-1, right to left): Verbruggen (GK) — Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Barco — Baleba, Moder — Pedro, Gross, Lallana — Welbeck.

Man City (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol — Rodri, Kovacic — Foden, De Bruyne, Silva — Alvarez.

Man City vs Brighton stats

Brighton
Stat (HT)
Man City
3
Shots
9
2
Shots on target
3
34%
Possession
66%
196
Passes
399
2
Corners
2
3
Fouls
2
1
Yellow cards
0
Man City vs Brighton live updates, highlights, commentary

HALFTIME: Brighton 0-3 Man City

It’s unbelievably comfortable for Man City as they are in complete control at the halftime break. They didn’t pummel Brighton by any means, producing just nine total shots through the first 45 minutes, but they were dominant in possession and were hardly troubled at all by the home side.

Brighton had one solid opportunity early in the match, and slumped to inferiority from there. They were punished for sloppy and naive passing out of the back, and an efficient Man City front line needed only a few chances to put themselves well out in front. It was all Man City through the first half, and Brighton showed little in the way of promise to get back into the match.

Man City vs Brighton: First Half

35th min: Joel Veltman is booked after losing the ball and wrestling a Man City player to the ground. The yellow card is for booting the ball away in frustration in the aftermath, rather than the foul itself.

33rd min: GOAL! MAN CITY! It’s Phil Foden on the double! Brighton have had a shocker trying to play out of the back, and the England superstar has his second of the match to put Man CIty up 3-0! Roberto De Zerbi can’t believe what he’s seen!

The hosts are all over the place dribbling themselves into trouble in their own penalty area, and a simple tackle from Bernardo Silva on young Valentin Barco snatches it away. Silva’s poke falls to Foden who finishes with a first touch. It’s an embarrassing first-half from Brighton who are laying over far too easily against the defending champions.

HIGHLIGHT: Watch Phil Foden’s second goal in USA | Watch in UK | Watch in Canada

26th min: GOAL! MAN CITY! Phil Foden claims his 15th goal of the Premier League season and 50th of his career, but it comes via great fortune as his free-kick clips the back of Pascal Gross on its way through and takes an enormous deflection, leaving the diving Bart Verbruggen with no chance to make the save.

Brighton will be disappointed with Gross for turning his back to the free-kick, but also because the initial foul call was soft at best. Foden won’t care, and he’s got yet another goal to add to his Player of the Season resume!

HIGHLIGHT: Watch Phil Foden goal in USA | Watch in UK | Watch in Canada

20th min: Chance, Man City! After Brighton nearly pull back level, Man City go right down the other end and fire a shot just wide themselves! It’s Julian Alvarez on the end of the City counter, who rips an effort across the face of goal from a tight angle on the right, wide of the far post. Not far off!

19th min: Chance, Brighton! Wow, Lewis Dunk should do better with that header for Brighton, in an effort to bring the hosts level! He meets a corner from about eight yards out, rising high over a defender, but heading it down into the ground right in front of Ederson, where it takes a charity hop into the goalkeeper’s waiting arms.

17th min: GOAL! MAN CITY! It’s Kevin De Bruyne with the opener as he deposits a diving header past Bart Verbruggen, and the defending champions are in front! He meets a Kyle Walker cross from about 10 yards out and hits it with pinpoint accuracy for a headed effort. Exceptional finish for the Belgian star’s fourth goal in five games, and his first-ever headed goal in the Premier League!

HIGHLIGHT: Watch Kevin De Bruyne goal in USA | Watch in UK | Watch in Canada

15th min: Chance, Man City! It’s the first real scoring opportunity for either side as Phil Foden delivers a delicious curling free-kick on a platter to Nathan Ake at the far post, but the Man City defender is just an inch or two too slow to reach the delivery, and as he slides to reach the ball, he makes poor contact and redirects it over the crossbar.

6th min: Brighton have looked the more dangerous side in the early phase of this match, as Danny Welbeck scuffs a shot easily saved by Ederson and Joao Pedro runs a breakaway that ultimately falls apart just before a shot comes off. A solid opening phase to this match for the hosts at the Amex.

Kickoff: They’re under way at the Amex! What twists and turns will the Premier League title race take today?

How Manchester City and Brighton both stand in the Premier League table! 📊 pic.twitter.com/p6CMQlFUE4

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 25, 2024
Man City vs Brighton: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more

15 mins to kickoff: The title race is as exciting as it’s been in years, while Brighton still have an outside shot at European qualification, but must pick up the pace to have a way back into the top third of the table. Plenty on the line in this one.

“They’ve only got to slip up once. It’s a really intense period”

Jamie Redknapp on Man City’s next run of fixtures 🔜 pic.twitter.com/SM9GF2aln4

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 25, 2024
30 mins to kickoff: Man City have been far from their best over the past few months, most evident in their quarterfinal exit from the Champions League last week, but they remain a force down the stretch of the season.

Near-perfect league run-ins have become a hallmark of Pep Guardiola’s tenure at Man City, losing just four times and drawing just three down the final six matches of the season across his seven years in charge. That makes catching City at the top of the table a formidable challenge for the other clubs in the title race.

Man City enter their final six games of the Premier League season tonight 🔵

They’re formidable at the crunch under Pep 😤👀 pic.twitter.com/G6Kt430rkG

— LiveScore (@livescore) April 25, 2024
45 mins to kickoff: While Julio Enciso is left on the bench for Brighton, he could still make a late impact in this game, just like he did the last time Man City visited the Amex, scoring a howitzer from miles away, a strike which would later win Premier League Goal of the Season in the 2022/23 campaign.

Last time @OfficialBHAFC hosted Man City, Julio Enciso did this. pic.twitter.com/j4xQxXmXb0

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 25, 2024
1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are in, and the biggest bit of news is that Ruben Dias is not fit to start for Man City, with Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji at centre-back, leaving Josko Gvardiol to continue out-of-position at left-back. Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne both make the lineup, while Julian Alvarez is deployed at central striker with Erling Haaland not in the squad.

For Brighton, young star Julio Enciso only makes the bench despite all the attacking injuries to the side, as the Seagulls continue to protect him following a recent return from a serious knee injury. Adam Lallana starts as a playmaker over Facundo Buonanotte, while Simon Adingra is swapped out to bring Joao Pedro into the side.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: Thanks to Everton’s upset victory in the Merseyside derby over an exhausted and spent Liverpool squad yesterday, the Premier League title race is almost surely down to two participants with six games left in the season.

If Man City don’t make good today, they will cede control of the run-in to Arsenal, who thumped Chelsea back on Tuesday. Even with Liverpool fading, it will still be a thrilling finish to the season, especially if Brighton manage to pull out a result of any kind today!

A look at where Liverpool’s loss to Everton leaves the title race…

Will Man City capitalise when they play against Brighton tomorrow? pic.twitter.com/Hni0AxSQGI

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 24, 2024
1 hour 30 mins to kick: This Brighton side has lacked any sort of attacking consistency through the second half of the season, largely thanks to injuries which have wrecked the side’s front line. The loss of Karou Mitoma removes the side’s most dangerous forward, while the likes of Evan Ferguson and Billy Gilmour were also cut down due to fitness concerns.

The creative duties have fallen almost exclusively to Pascal Gross, who has created the third-most chances of any Premier League player this season, while Joao Pedro has contributed some off the bench. Still, no Brighton player has scored more than two Premier League goals in 2024, which presents a massive hole in the front of the Seagulls’ attack.

Highest Expected Assists in the Premier League this season (assists):

◉ 9.7 – Bukayo Saka (8)

◉ 8.4 – Martin Ødegaard (6)

◎ 7.88 – Pascal Groß (10)

◎ 7.74 – Bruno Fernandes (6)

◎ 7.01 – Kieran Trippier (10)

Putting them on a plate. 🍽 pic.twitter.com/xjIVWBoTTf

— Squawka (@Squawka) April 18, 2024
1 hour 45 mins to kick: While Kevin De Bruyne’s overall production this season has been muted thanks to his long injury layoff through the winter, when he has been available for Man City he’s been utterly phenomenal.

De Bruyne is averaging a goal contribution every 43 minutes in the Premier League this season, which would rank him second in the EPL behind only Cole Palmer of Chelsea if he had enough minutes to qualify for the leaderboard. Which makes comparisons on social media, like the one below, lacking significant context to be considered anything other than clickbait. When healthy, De Bruyne remains the league’s best No. 10, and that’s not remotely in question.

Bruno Fernandes has more Premier League goal contributions this season (17) than Martin Ødegaard (16) and Kevin De Bruyne (9) 👀

Underappreciated 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3SFyezF2yq

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 24, 2024
2 hours to kickoff: Without Erling Haaland fit to start up front, Man City should again turn to Phil Foden, who has been rested for the last two Premier League games amidst the Champions League run, but with that now at an end he can again be used in domestic action.

Foden had four goal contributions in the six matches while Haaland was shelved in December, and scored a hat-trick with Haaland on the bench against Aston Villa in early April. With 14 goals in the league campaign overall, Foden is probably out of the Golden Boot running unless he goes on an unprecedented run, but he could be a major player in the title race and put himself back in the forefront of the Player of the Season conversation.

🗣️ ‘I hope I’m up there in the conversation!’ 👀

Phil Foden joined @Ian_Ladyman_DM to reflect on his hopes of winning a PFA or FWA award this season on ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ 🎙️

Tap to listen to the full interview 👇

— Mail Sport (@MailSport) April 24, 2024
Man City vs Brighton pre-match facts & figures

Man City are on a 29-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, the club’s longest-ever run. Their last defeat came on December 6 to Aston Villa in Premier League play, making their 17-match league unbeaten run their second-longest in club history behind a 19-game streak in the 2020/21 season.

 
Phil Foden, sitting on 49 career Premier League goals, has scored more against Brighton (6) than against any other club.

 
Brighton have produced the fourth-most shots on target in the Premier League this season, but the quality of their chances has been poor — they rank in the bottom five for both xG/shot and xGOT/shot on target.
MORE: Preview Man City vs Brighton with picks, predictions, and latest odds

Man City vs Brighton lineups, team news

Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi is still missing a host of key players for the final weeks of the campaign. There are a few bright spots, as central defender Adam Webster will be available after missing three games, while young star Julio Enciso has returned from his knee ligament tear and is being brought back into the fold slowly, making the bench today.

Yet the likes of Evan Ferguson, Tariq Lamptey and Karou Mitoma remain absent, while Solly March, Pervis Estupinan, and Billy Gilmour are also sidelined for some time more as the injury list looks bleak.

Brighton starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen (GK) — Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Barco — Baleba, Moder — Pedro, Gross, Lallana — Welbeck.

Brighton subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)

Erling Haaland had been thought to be involved here after the Norwegian star missed the Chelsea game on the weekend with a muscle issue, but he has been ruled out once again by Pep Guardiola. Meanwhile, Ruben Dias and Jeremy Doku are not brought back into the fold after they were rested in the recent FA Cup semifinal.

Phil Foden is back starting in a Premier League match after a two-game stint on the bench to be rested for Champions League play, and Julian Alvarez takes the striker spot with Haaland still out.

Man City starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol — Rodri, Kovacic — Foden, De Bruyne, Silva — Alvarez.

Man City subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)

How to watch Man City vs Brighton

 
TV channel
Streaming
USA
USA Network, Universo
Fubo USA, NBC Sports app, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo
Canada
 —
Fubo Canada
UK
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League
Sky Go Extra
As the only Premier League match of the day, U.S. broadcast rights-holder NBC Sports has decided to televise this match on USA Network, which can be streamed on Fubo, who are offering a free trial for new users.

In Canada, Fubo is the exclusive broadcast rights-holder for the Premier League this season, with every match from August to May streaming live on the platform. Fubo also hold the exclusive broadcast rights to Serie A games in Canada, while other leagues like MLS, Bundesliga, and La Liga can be found throughout the season as well.

This midweek Premier League match will be broadcast domestically on Sky Sports television in the U.K. and their streaming platforms.