In the 29th round of the English Premier League, two teams fighting for a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League – “Manchester City” and “Brighton” – faced each other.
In the match at the “Etihad” arena, the hosts took the lead twice. Initially, in the 11th minute, Erling Haaland successfully converted a penalty earned by Umar Marmush.
This goal etched Erling Haaland's name into the history of the English Premier League. The Norwegian ball master set a record as the fastest player to achieve 100 effective actions in the competition's history. Haaland became the first and currently the only player to accumulate 100 points in the goal+assist system in less than 100 matches in the English Premier League. The 24-year-old forward needed just 94 matches to reach this milestone.
The Brighton players did not return from Manchester empty-handed. Initially, Estupinyan responded to Haaland's goal within ten minutes. His shot from a free kick hit the post and found its way into the net.
In the first half, Umar Marmush had put the hosts ahead, but Abduqodir Husanov helped Brighton return with a point. Our compatriot, while trying to save a shot from the opponent in the 48th minute, inadvertently put the ball into his own net – 2:2.
This own goal brought an anti-record to Josep Guardiola. It was the 40th goal conceded by “Manchester City” this season. Since Guardiola has been managing the “Citizens” since 2016, the team has never conceded this many goals in a single season. Only in his debut season – the 2016-2017 championship – did the Spanish specialist's team concede 39 goals.
After the match, Josep Guardiola shared his thoughts. He did not criticize Abduqodir Husanov for scoring an own goal; rather, he praised the Uzbek legionnaire's performance.
- It was a good game, the match was played under great pressure. I know very well that what we are doing now is very difficult.
The players gave their all on the field, we earned one point and will continue to fight. Of course, I believe. It has always been this way.
The young players played well, especially our defenders acted wisely. Ruben Dias and Abduqodir Husanov played fantastically. Compared to the game against “Nottingham Forest,” we played much better this time, scored two goals, and created more situations to seize the goal.
We were close to victory, but we couldn't achieve it, - said Josep Guardiola.
The WhoScored statistics portal analyzed the players' performances in the match and rated them. The lowest rating among “Manchester City” players – 6 points – was given to Abduqodir Husanov, Ruben Dias, and Phil Foden. Umar Marmush, who significantly contributed to the team's two goals, was rated at 8.1 points.
“Manchester City” will play their next match against “Bournemouth” on March 30 in the FA Cup.
