EPL

Brighton 2-1 Manchester City: O'Riley condemns visitors to fourth consecutive loss

By Sports Desk November 09, 2024

Premier League debutant Matt O'Riley proved Brighton's hero as he completed a comeback in a 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Amex Stadium.

The substitute returned from injury with a bang as he condemned Pep Guardiola to a fourth successive defeat in all competitions for the first time in his managerial career.

Erling Haaland had given City a deserved lead in the first half, but they were pegged back by another substitute in Joao Pedro in the 78th minute.

O'Riley then piled the misery on their visitors with a composed finish five minutes later, ensuring Fabian Hurzeler's side – who were on the wrong end of a comeback against Liverpool last time out – came out on top.

It is a win that lifts Brighton to fourth in the table, while second-placed City missed the chance to go top, and sit two points behind Liverpool, who play Aston Villa later on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Uncharted territory

City are so used to writing history given their success in recent years, but they are making headlines for the wrong reasons this time around. 

As stated before, Guardiola has lost four games in a row for the first time as a manager, but it is also the first time City have suffered four consecutive defeats since August 2006.

After a barren (by his standards) spell for Haaland, who had not scored in two appearances, he has lost a Premier League game in which he has scored for the very first time (W40 D6 previously).

Take nothing away from Brighton though. They are now unbeaten across their first six Premier League home games of the season (W3 D3), their best such start to a top-flight campaign since 1982-83 (seven home games without defeat).

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    Though focused on more than just immediate results, Busby pointed out that victory in upcoming matches is part of a larger vision—a journey toward a third-consecutive World Cup appearance in 2027 and the continued development of a sustainable, competitive program for Jamaica’s women’s football.

    The Girlz will take on South Africa at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on November 29 and December 2, in what will be their first matches on home soil since November 2022. It will also be the first game in Jamaica for the core group of the 2023 World Cup squad since last September’s Olympic qualifying playoff against Canada.

    “It’s special to have the girls back playing in front of our fans. This is an opportunity to connect with the home crowd again, but it’s also a critical step in our preparation for what’s ahead,” Busby shared as he unveiled his 23-member squad.

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    Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has been in good form for Manchester City.

    Busby’s approach reflects his determination to build on recent experiences, including lessons learned from challenging matches against top-tier opponents like Brazil and more recently, France.

    Despite a compressed six-day camp prior to that encounter, in which they lost 0-3, he noted the progress made in refining their style of play, particularly in maintaining possession and executing defensive transitions.

    “We didn’t get the result we wanted against France, but there were positives, especially in how we’re evolving our style of play—keeping possession and building from the back. But we need to cut down on individual mistakes and improve decision-making in critical moments. Football is a game of moments, and minimizing mistakes during crucial periods is a key focus for us,” he noted.

    With the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil as the ultimate target, Busby has been focused on establishing a winning culture while integrating new talent into the team.

    For the last camp, he invited Taylor Hinds, Lulu Jarvis, Reanna Blades, and Natasha Thomas in to see how they fit into the programme, but none of those players are listed for the upcoming camp, in which national youth representative Destiny Powell and Naya Cardoza will be the only new players among the core group.

    The coach stressed that his job is not just to guide the team to their third consecutive World Cup but to lay the groundwork for Jamaica’s participation in every World Cup thereafter, hence the consistent inclusion of young talent.

    “It’s not just about Brazil in 2027. It’s about creating a sustainable pipeline of talent so we’re always competitive because their growth today will fuel our success tomorrow. So it's really important to get these young players in,” Busby shared.

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    Siobhan Wilson makes a long-awaited return after an ACL injury kept her out of action for nine months.

    “One of our objectives is to keep a clean sheet. Being good defensively has been the basis of our foundation of success without a doubt, but the biggest inclusion in this group is leader ‘Bunny’ Shaw. She's been in great form, as we all know, so it gives us another option up front to go around with all the as to go along with the other attacking options we have. But having her back in the group helps tremendously,” the tactician declared.

    Like the Reggae Girlz, South Africa are also fresh off their participation in the 2023 World Cup, and Busby expects the games to be another tough challenge for his side, much like it was in their last meeting in 2019 when they played out a 1-1 stalemate in Durban.

    “Going into these two games against a great-quality opponent in South Africa still gives us a really good litmus test in terms of where we are and, more importantly, where we need to go. So that is the objective. We want to get the wins. We want to improve performance. And we're hoping that these next two games will see a much more improved performance than we have before, that's for sure,” Busby ended. 

    Squad: Rebecca spencer, Liya Brooks, Allyson Swaby, Konya Plummer, Naya Cardoza, Vyan Sampson, Chantelle Swaby, Deneisha Blackwood, Siobhan Wilson, Atlanta Primus, Destiny Powell, Peyton McNamara, Jade Bailey Drew Spence, Paige Bailey-Gayle, Olufolasade Adamolekun, Khadija Shaw, Kayla McKenna, Davia Richards, Jody Brown, Shania Hayles, Shaniel Buckley, Tiffany Cameron

     

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    The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star returned as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Iran's Esteghlal in the Asian Champions Elite League earlier this month, but he suffered a hamstring tear and is now expected to be sidelined until mid-December.

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    Longstaff returned to Newcastle's starting lineup for those matches after temporarily losing his place in their midfield, with Joelinton being pushed into the frontline.

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    "I know the manager trusts me which is the biggest thing. No matter what anyone ever says, the fact he trusts me gives me the most confidence."

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    PLAYERS TO WATCH 

    Newcastle United – Harvey Barnes

    Only against Aston Villa (nine) has Barnes been directly involved in more Premier League goals than he has against West Ham (eight – six goals, two assists). 

    He has either scored or assisted in each of his last four against the Hammers (four goals, one assist), finding the net in each of the last three.

    West Ham – Michail Antonio 

    Only Wolves frontman Jorgen Strand Larsen (16) has made more hold-ups while retaining possession in the Premier League this season than West Ham striker Antonio (15). 

    Antonio is retaining possession with 71% of his hold-ups in the competition this term (15/21), the highest ratio of any player to attempt 10 or more. Lopetegui's side are likely to spend plenty of time under pressure on Monday, but he could provide them with an outlet.

    MATCH PREDICTION – NEWCASTLE UNITED WIN

    Newcastle have won their last two Premier League games and are looking to win three in a row for the first time since September 2023 – this is the sixth occasion since then that they have won twice in a row in the league.

    They have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League games against West Ham (five wins, four draws) and are unbeaten in all five against the Hammers under Howe (two wins, three draws). They triumphed 4-3 when the sides last met at St James' Park in March.

    West Ham, meanwhile, have kept just two clean sheets in their last 28 Premier League away games, conceding 66 goals (2.4 per game). 

    Indeed, in 2024, they have conceded more away goals in the top-flight (35) than any side.

    Lopetegui's men have also failed to score in their last two league games, as many as in their previous 14 beforehand. Only five teams have a worse difference between their expected goals (xG) and expected goals against (xGA) figures than West Ham (-2.97) this term.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    Newcastle United – 58.9%

    West Ham – 19.7%

    Draw – 21.4%

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