Manchester City's Era of Dominance Faces Crisis After Fourth Straight Defeat

Manchester City's dominance in the Premier League has hit a roadblock, as they suffered a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions, losing 2-1 to Brighton on Saturday. This setback has left the reigning champions five points behind Liverpool, who extended their lead at the top of the table with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.

City's struggles have been compounded by a string of injuries, with star midfielder Rodri out for the season with an ACL injury. The absence of key center backs Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Nathan Ake has further weakened their defense. Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has also been struggling with fitness issues.

Manager Pep Guardiola expressed his frustration after the Brighton defeat, acknowledging that City's squad is struggling to cope with the mounting injuries. "We cannot do it every three days, three days, four days, three days with the (injury) situation we have," he said.

Brighton's victory was sparked by Joao Pedro's equalizer in the 78th minute, followed by Matt O'Riley's winner in the 83rd on his Premier League debut. City's loss marked their first league defeat in 11 months.

Meanwhile, Liverpool continued their impressive start under new manager Arne Slot, with goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah securing a 2-0 win over Aston Villa. The Reds have now won nine of their 11 league games this season, putting them in contention for the title.

Other notable results in the Premier League included Wolverhampton's first win of the season, a 2-0 victory over Southampton, and Fulham's impressive 2-0 win at Crystal Palace. Brentford bounced back from their loss to Fulham with a 3-2 victory over Bournemouth, while West Ham and Everton played out a 0-0 draw.

Tags: #ManchesterCity, #PremierLeague, #Liverpool, #Brighton, #PepGuardiola