Manchester City’s winning run came to an end at 12 games as they were held to a draw by Europa League qualifiers Brighton.
The Citizens – recently confirmed as Premier League champions – took the lead through Phil Foden but Julio Enciso’s strike from distance meant the points were shared, ensuring the Seagulls tied up sixth place.
City looked ahead to finals against Manchester United and Inter in the FA Cup and Champions League with their substitutes bench, though the starting XI still had world class players everywhere you looked.
Here’s who stole the show at the AMEX and who flattered to deceive.
Phil Foden: 8/10
He was given little time to improve on a brilliant first half, but Foden’s goal edged him ahead as City’s leading player on Wednesday night.
His finish wasn’t as precise as it has been at previous points in the season but was still enough to give City the lead, complementing his wonderful pirouettes from earlier in the piece.
The England international came off early with more important tasks ahead and will have done his chances of making one of the cup final XIs no harm with a fluent display.
Read more on Man City’s 2022/23 Premier League title triumph
Honourable mention
Stefan Ortega: 8/10
Stefan Ortega has been given a few runouts of late with Ederson rested and has not disappointed. He made four saves on the south coast, denying the Seagulls a win they arguably might have deserved.
The German is unlikely to play his way into one of those aforementioned cup final XIs but his effort on Wednesday shows the strength in depth at Guardiola’s disposal.
Read more on Man City’s 2022/23 Premier League title triumph
Rodri: 6/10
We’re hardly into Jonathan Woodgate and his Real Madrid debut territory here for City’s players – some sort of immediate performance decline might have been expected after winning the title.
Rodri was shuffled into the back four and looked fine for the most part, though Brighton’s dizzying array of forwards made it tricky for the Spaniard at points.
Dishonourable mention
Kevin De Bruyne: 6/10
De Bruyne rarely looked at his striding best on Wednesday night, with crosses not coming off while Moises Caicedo and Billy Gilmour gave him grief.
He’ll likely get a rest over the weekend with Man Utd and Inter on the horizon in the FA Cup final and Champions League final respectively. KDB needs some defining performances over those games, but his quiet showing here is little for City fans to be worried about.
