Spurs drop points after draw at Fulham -
LONDON: Phil Foden was the hero on Wednesday as Manchester City beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 to climb to third in the English Premier League.
Foden put City ahead just before half-time and though Raheem Sterling missed a penalty in time added on, the home side held on for their seventh consecutive win in all competitions.
City are now four points behind leaders Manchester United and one behind Liverpool, with a game in hand on both.
Tottenham remain sixth, though, after dropping points in a 1-1 draw with third-bottom Fulham.
Manager Pep Guardiola admitted Brighton made life tough for his team.
“We had a really good first half and had chances. After we missed a really clear chance in the second half they were better,” he said.
“We need to win these sort of games. It is a good lesson for us. Every game will be like this.”
Yet again, Foden showed his worth, the England midfielder scoring the only goal into the bottom corner after finding space.
And even a missed penalty, when Sterling blasted over the bar after Kevin De Bruyne was fouled, did not take away from Guardiola’s pleasure, especially with Foden.
“Phil Foden is 20 years old, look at the starts,” Guardiola said.
“The amount of games, the assists compared to the bigger stars in football. Can play both sides, in the middle as a false nine. He is so clever in front of goal. That is why he deserves to play.”
Brighton remain 17th, two points above the relegation zone, but manager Graham Potter was encouraged by his side’s performance.
“We are disappointed to come away with nothing,” he said. “We met atop team. I’m so proud of the players. You have to suffer here,that’s how it is. We tried to attack.
“You need everything to go your way if you’re going to get anything here. Second half was really good, really spirited. We pushed a very good team all the way.”
“I really enjoyed the performance, the spirit. They had a go. We were organised. We had an idea of what we wanted to do. There was a lot to be proud of.”
Tottenham would have gone above City on goal difference had they beaten Fulham in a match hastily rearranged after Spurs’ clash at Aston Villa was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Harry Kane put Jose Mourinho’s side in front with a diving header after 25 minutes but Ivan Cavaleiro headed the equaliser 16 minutes from time.
The result left Tottenham still sixth, two points behind Manchester City in third.
Arsenal play Crystal Palace in the last of the midweek fixtures on Thursday. — dpa
English Premier League results on Wednesday:
Manchester City 1 (Foden 44) Brighton 0
Tottenham 1 (Kane 25) Fulham 1 (Cavaleiro 74)
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