Erling Haaland Man City 2023-24Getty

Man City player ratings vs Brighton: Erling Haaland never sleeps for long! Superstar striker back on the scoresheet as frightening Jeremy Doku runs riot

Erling Haaland describes himself as a "zombie" and you can never take your eye off him for long, as Brighton found out to their detriment in a 2-1 win for Manchester City on Saturday. The Norwegian had not scored in his last three outings and had had only one shot in his last two Premier League games, but he needed just a sniff of danger to make Brighton pay a heavy price, slamming the ball into the net from outside the area to double the lead.

City had taken an early lead with a one-touch strike from Julian Alvarez, after a breathtaking run from Jeremy Doku, who frightened the life out of Brighton every time he got on the ball. The Seagulls, however, rallied late in the game, and after Ansu Fati reduced the deficit, they started to scare City, with Kaoru Mitoma running Kyle Walker ragged.

Things got more precarious for Pep Guardiola's side when Manuel Akanji was sent off for a second booking, but there were only two minutes of added time left. City, therefore, survived to ensure they got back on track and back to the top of the Premier League table, at least for a short while.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium...

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