sport news Phil Foden dazzles as unstoppable Man City move with menace towards Premier ... trends now
Manchester City have been champions for more than a thousand days. They won the title back in May 2021 and on this evidence are not in the mood to relinquish it.
Of all the things about Pep Guardiola and his team, it is the appetite to keep going that is perhaps most impressive. The refusal to bask in what they have achieved. To process the disappointment of defeat on penalties by Real Madrid in the Champions League.
They saw Arsenal smash five past Chelsea on Tuesday. They saw Liverpool surrender three points in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday. They responded in the way champions do. Seemingly immune to anxiety.
There were three goals in the first half despite the continued absence of Erling Haaland. Kevin De Bruyne scored his first Premier League header, Phil Foden added two more to his prolific season and Julian Alvarez ended his personal drought in the competition.
City moved with menace to within a point of the summit and have a game in hand. They are at Nottingham Forest on Sunday as Arsenal engage in a local dispute with Tottenham Hotspur.
Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne celebrates after opening the scoring against Brighton
De Bruyne's diving header looped over the goalkeeper Steele in the 17th minute
Phil Foden's deflected free kick doubled Man City's advantage in the 26th minute
City forward Foden scored their third goal in the 34th minute after a defensive slip
The unprecedented fourth successive title is very much on. Of course, debate about the 115 charges for financial misconduct will rage on, but it would be an epic feat of sporting endurance if they make it.
One surely appreciated by Russ Cook, the Brighton runner known as Hardest Geezer, who ran almost 10,000 miles to cover the length of Africa in 352 days. Cook raised more than a million pounds for charity and was back in Sussex to see the City machine overwhelm his home-town club.
Depleted by injuries, Brighton have been stumbling towards the finish. This has been an arduous campaign, including their first experience of the complications of European competition. Yet they are still challenging for the top half and a fixture at the Amex Stadium is still viewed as one that might be tricky, even for those contesting the title.
