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Manchester City Defeats Brighton 2-1, Reclaims Premier League Summit
Manchester City secured a 2-1 victory over Brighton on Saturday, reclaiming their position at the top of the Premier League and ousting Liverpool from their brief stay at the summit following their Merseyside derby win.
Mohamed Salah was the star for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, scoring twice as his team defeated 10-man Everton 2-0 in the early kick-off at Anfield, continuing their dominance over their struggling neighbors.
Champions City, determined to put recent setbacks behind them, displayed an impressive performance against high-flying Brighton, with Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland finding the net.
Arsenal has the opportunity to claim the top spot on Saturday if they manage to beat Chelsea in the early evening kick-off.
Liverpool had luck on their side during the match. Everton’s Ashley Young received a red card before half-time for two bookable offenses, while Ibrahima Konate avoided a second booking in the second half, despite the game remaining goalless.
Although Liverpool struggled to capitalize on their man advantage, they finally broke through 15 minutes from time when Salah scored from the penalty spot after Michael Keane handled the ball. Salah was then assisted by Darwin Nunez to secure the points deep into stoppage time.
Everton manager Sean Dyche expressed his frustration with the decision not to send Konate off, saying, “I have no clue how he didn’t feel it was a bookable offense. I like to think there are a lot of fair-minded people here today who are stunned that wasn’t a second yellow card.” Even Klopp admitted he could understand Everton’s frustration regarding referee Craig Pawson’s inconsistency.
Despite late pressure, City held on to win, ending their mini-slump. The first half of their match against Brighton was dominated by City, with Alvarez opening the scoring in the seventh minute. Haaland ended his brief goal drought, doubling City’s lead 12 minutes later with a fierce left-footed shot.
Brighton pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute after Ansu Fati capitalized on a defensive lapse, but City managed to hold on for the win, even though Manuel Akanji was sent off in the closing minutes.
Newcastle continued their resurgence with a commanding 4-0 win against Crystal Palace, featuring goals from Jacob Murphy, Anthony Gordon, Sean Longstaff, and Callum Wilson, lifting them to fifth in the Premier League.
In other matches, Brentford defeated Burnley 3-0, while Wolves came from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1, courtesy of a late winner from Sasa Kalajdzic. Luton mounted a comeback from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United played the late kick-off against bottom club Sheffield United, with Old Trafford in mourning over the passing of club legend Bobby Charlton.
Tottenham, who began the day at the top of the table, are not in action until Monday when they host Fulham.
