Chronicle EditorMANCHESTER City beat Brighton 2-1 on Saturday to return to the Premier League summit on a day when the action on the pitch was overshadowed by the death of England World Cup winner Bobby Charlton.
Charlton’s family announced that the former midfielder, who scored 49 international goals, had “passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning” at the age of 86.
Tributes poured in from across the football world, with former England captain David Beckham praising the Manchester United great as a “national hero”.
City manager Pep Guardiola also expressed his condolences after the champions held on to beat Brighton at the Etihad.
“I am sorry to the Manchester United family and England,” he said. “Next week, when we go there, we will be present to make a tribute.
“I love this country for many things but one of the things is how they take care of the legends.”
City’s hard-fought win meant they leapfrogged Liverpool, who briefly topped the table after their 2-0 victory against neighbours Everton in the early kick-off.
Arsenal missed the chance to end the day in top spot but recovered from 2-0 down against Chelsea to draw 2-2 and are behind City only on goal difference.
City’s win was their 21st consecutive victory at the Etihad in all competitions, setting a new record for a winning run at home by a Premier League club.
The treble winners, who had lost their previous two league games, dominated the first-half, taking an early lead through Julian Alvarez.
Erling Haaland ended his brief drought by doubling City’s lead 12 minutes later, driving home a fierce left-footed shot from just outside the area — his ninth Premier League goal of the season.
But it was a different story after the break. Ansu Fati pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute to heap the pressure on the home team, who held on despite the sending off of defender Manuel Akanji. — SuperSport
Online Reporter