Pep Guardiola commended his Manchester City squad for quickly recovering from their celebrations following the Premier League title win, as they extended their unbeaten streak to 25 matches with a 1-1 draw against Brighton on Wednesday.
The point secured Brighton’s sixth-place finish in the table, guaranteeing them a spot in next season’s Europa League.
Phil Foden opened the scoring for the newly crowned English champions, but Julio Enciso’s sensational long-range strike earned Brighton a well-deserved point.
“Only 48 hours ago, they were drinking all the alcohol in Manchester,” Guardiola remarked. “Today, they demonstrated why they are the champions. We showed humility and ran tirelessly. That’s why we’ve been champions for many years – these players showed something special.”
Ahead of the match, Guardiola praised Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, hailing him as one of the most influential coaches of the past two decades.
As a gesture of respect, Guardiola reinstated several star players who were rested in City’s previous 1-0 victory over Chelsea, which secured their fourth league title in five years.
Erling Haaland returned to the lineup, and within the opening half-hour, he had a chance to score his seventh hat-trick of the season. However, the Norwegian forward missed an inviting cross from Foden and failed to beat Jason Steele when cleaning through on goal due to a poor touch.
But Haaland redeemed himself by unselfishly providing an assist to Foden, who scored his 15th goal of the season to give City the lead.
Brighton soon responded to Guardiola’s praise, causing problems for the champions. Danny Welbeck’s free-kick rattled the crossbar, and Facundo Buonanotte squandered a chance after breezing through the City defence.
Although Kaoru Mitoma had an equalizer disallowed for handball, Enciso’s equalizer couldn’t be denied. The Paraguayan midfielder received Levi Colwill’s pass and unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner, scoring his first goal at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton had a third goal ruled out for offside just before halftime when Welbeck was flagged after receiving a pass from Mitoma.
The second half saw fewer scoring opportunities despite the intense pace of the game. Haaland appeared to have secured his 53rd goal of the season when he headed in Cole Palmer’s cross, but a VAR review revealed that he had pulled Colwill’s shirt to gain an advantage.
Tempers briefly flared on the touchline after the decision, resulting in Guardiola receiving a yellow card from the referee.
City had minor injury concerns for the upcoming FA Cup and Champions League finals as Phil Foden, John Stones, and Bernardo Silva were substituted in the second half, seemingly not moving freely.
“We need to be cautious to ensure that the players arrive at the finals in the best possible condition,” Guardiola stated.
Despite the match’s competitiveness, Guardiola and De Zerbi shared a warm embrace of mutual admiration after the final whistle, concluding the encounter with smiles all around.
