The battle is on as Man City, and Barca Liverpool struggles with Bayern Munich for star player Florian Wirtz

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Manchester City 2-1 Brighton VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Haaland scores to put City  a comfortable position 

Erling Haaland returns to the scoresheet as Manchester City return to winning ways with a narrow 2-1 win over Brighton.
After suffering back-to-back defeats before the recent international break, the champions are at risk of three consecutive defeats in the Premier League for the first time under Pep Guardiola.
That looked unlikely at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, when early goals from Julian Alvarez and Haaland – his first for City in four matches – saw them win get three points.
The reaction from Brighton substitute Ansu Fati in the 17th minute made for a tense final – and tensions increased when Manuel Akanji received a second yellow card in stoppage time – but City continued continue to hold out.
For much of the match, City looked more confident on Rodri’s return from his recent costly suspension. The return of John Stones also brings more confidence, although starting goalkeeper Ederson is on the bench after his recent international efforts for Brazil.

Brighton have impressed under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi – who Guardiola repeatedly praises – but, with their bold play, their defense has appeared loose and their open-mindedness they were quickly exploited.
Phil Foden caused early trouble for the visitors when he won possession and stepped up to free the lively Jeremy Doku, who cut inside and curled up.
It didn’t take long to open the scoring, Doku again bypassed the defense to get to the touchline and cut the ball to Alvarez.
The Argentine World Cup winner’s goal wasn’t the cleanest, but his confidence was such that the first shot was too strong and he beat Jason Steele for his seventh goal of the season .
City continued to pile on the pressure with a burst from deep as Josko Gvardiol shot straight at Steele.
Kaoru Mitoma had his first chance for Brighton, but his tame effort was easily saved by Stefan Ortega and the Seagulls suffered a major blow when Mancunian Danny Welbeck was forced off injured after 15 minutes.
Haaland took further advantage of Brighton’s defensive weakness by ending their recent goal drought – by his extraordinary standards – by doubling their lead. Man City in the 19th minute.
The Norwegian had too much space as he headed into the box before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner from distance.

Alvarez caught the eye of VAR after pushing Pascal Gross but got nothing and Doku threatened again when he beat Man City veteran James Milner but failed to hit the target.
Brighton started to show some life early in the second half when Gross deflected a shot under pressure.
Haaland received Foden’s pass just after the hour mark, but his shot was saved by Steele.

Mitoma had another good chance after overcoming the Man City defense, but Ortega rushed to block it on the edge of the penalty area.
It was a warning that City failed to heed and as soon as Alvarez’s lob attempt failed, they were caught up in a quick counter-attack.

Brighton moved the ball quickly up the field and although Mitoma’s attempted pass into the box was blocked by Akanji, Fati was there in time to block it.
Brighton pressed until the last minute but struggled to create meaningful chances. Akanji’s late dismissal made home fans even more worried, but City got it done.

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7 GREAT STATS EARNED BY DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI AS A GREAT START AT LIVERPOOL

Player Ratings: Liverpool vs Leicester City player comments: Dutch duo Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo fantastic as Dominik Szoboszlai seals Carabao Cup comeback for the Reds

The Dutch internationals teamed up to help overcome an early deficit against the league leaders at Anfield

Ryan Gravenberch and international teammate Cody Gakpo combined to score a vital goal for Liverpool as the Red Devils came from behind to beat Leicester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Gakpo equalized early in the second half, when Dominik Szoboszlai’s thunderous strike and Diogo Jota’s deft strike lifted the Red Devils to a comfortable 3-1 aggregate victory.

Liverpool continued their recent trend of conceding early goals when Kasey McAteer beat Caoimhin Kelleher after a good counter-attack in the third minute. However, the Red Devils’ response was strong as Ben Doak hit the woodwork, Gakpo saw an effort smartly denied by Jakub Stolarczyk, Jota wasted a chance from 2m out with about away from goal and Conor Coady headed the ball past Gakpo right on the line.

The Red Devils eventually equalised, with Gravenberch setting up Gakpo, who turned and fired to level the scores shortly after the break. Gakpo should have added a second goal a few minutes later, but his lob went over the crossbar.

Szoboszlai came off the bench to finally turn the game around, firing a shot over the bar from 25 yards. And Jota sealed it all, heading Jarell Quansah’s cross into the far corner with a smart backheel.

GOAL evaluates Liverpool’s Anfield players…

Goalkeeper and defense

Caoimhin Kelleher (June 10):

There wasn’t much I could do about McAteer’s goal. Otherwise he’s mostly just a spectator.

Curtis Jones (6/10):

The inverted full-back had good possession but his defensive weaknesses were exposed when Leicester attacked on the break.

Ibrahima Konaté (October 7):

He covered for Jones a lot and handled things in the background. A mature performance.

Jarell Quansah (8/10):

He could have been closer to his man when Leicester scored, but he made some important tackles and distributed well. A promising performance from the youngster who has impressed so far.

Kostas Tsimikas (7/10):

Was caught in Leicester’s first game – although he felt he had been fouled. The latter has improved much and is dangerous in the forward areas.

Midfielder

Harvey Elliott (May 10):

Starts bright but then fades. It is still unclear whether he is a midfielder or a winger.

Wataru Endo (6/10):

Put in some tackles, won some headers, and covered a lot of ground. Wasn’t always particularly tidy on the ball, though.

Ryan Gravenberch (8/10):

Some of his marauding runs were wonderful, and he was a real threat in the final third. Assisted Gakpo after a lovely piece of skill. Looked tired when removed from the game.

Attack

Ben Doak (6/10):

He offers pace and trickery on the wing, but his end product is lacking. He is an interesting prospect and will take time.

Cody Gakpo (August 10):

Packs balance with a sharp finish. I might have added one or two more. Finished the game at midfield, where he looked more comfortable.

Diogo Jota (7/10):

I should have scored in the first half. Causing problems with his energy and directness during breaks. A stunning heel lift added an exclamation point to the result.

Sub and manager

Dominik Szoboszlai (7/10):

Scored a world goal to put his team in the lead.

Darwin Nunez (July 10):

Full of energy when coming on the field and causing problems for Leicester’s defense. Stefan Bajcetic (N/A):

A convenient cameo gives Jones a break.

Jurgen Klopp (7/10):

Rotated heavily with one eye on Saturday’s clash with Spurs. Liverpool conceded early — again — but created chances in spades. Five or six wouldn’t have flattered them.

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