Our 3️⃣ points as Manchester City thump Brighton on the south coast | OneFootball

Manchester City made another big statement in the Premier League title race Thursday evening as they swept aside Brighton at the Amex.

Here is what we made of the affair.

Who else but Foden?

Phil Foden has truly cemented himself as the key-man in the Manchester City attack this season — and yes that includes the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.

The Stockport native was at the heart of everything for Pep Guardiola’s side once again Thursday evening, scoring two goals in eight minutes to help his side blow Brighton away in the first half.

Foden has scored more goals than both Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka this season, and he has done it without taking any penalty-kicks for his side.

Still just 23-year-old, were starting to see Foden smooth the edges of his generationally sharp talent, and it’s a scary sight for opponents in England and Europe alike.

Where Foden goes, Manchester City will go in the remaining few weeks of the campaign.

All style no substance

Brighton are electric to watch at times. Roberto De Zerbi has transformed this Seagulls side into an attacking powerhouse that can dominate the ball and their opponents – but when it’s not working it can get ugly.

The Albion looked to do what they do against City, play out from the back and methodically work their way up the pitch before going direct in the final third.

However, as the City press grew more and more relentless, it was clear that a shift in thinking was needed, but that shift never came.

The lack of substance to back up their style in the opening 45 minutes of the affair was on full display when Brighton keeper Jason Steele finished the half with a 100% passing accuracy but a 0% save percentage.

Sometimes pragmatic is the way to go, but in the case of Roberto De Zerbi, a leopard never changes its spots.

Back-and-forth

While Liverpool might just be on their way out, the Premier League title race remains as tight as ever between Manchester City and Arsenal.

After the two sides showed exactly what they can do this week, Arsenal thumping Chelsea 5-0 and City’s dismantling of Brighton, its a matter of ‘anything you can do I can do better’ between the two Premier League giants.

Top-six showdowns could define the outcome of this title race however, as Arsenal are still yet to play North London rivals Tottenham and the old enemy Manchester United. Meanwhile, City will also take on Tottenham in the second-t0-last game of the season.

While Arsenal have typically found a way to collapse by this time in the campaign, the Gunners have shown a type of resilience that has perhaps been lacking in recent seasons.

Up next for Manchester City is a trip to face strugglers Nottingham Forest, a fixture that they were unable to win last season.

For Mikel Arteta’s side however, the highly-anticipated North London Derby on Sunday could go some way to deciding the destination of the trophy.

Who wins it? It’s too hard to predict right now.