Manchester City 1, Brentford 2
Ivan Toney scored a 98th minute winner as Manchester City’s 16 game winning run at home was brought to a dramatic end by Brentford.
Toney had opened the scoring in the 16th minute from a Brentford set piece while City had two penalty appeals rejected by VAR before Phil Foden equalised from a Kevin De Bruyne corner.
City’s final ball continued to fail them in the second half as they started to rush their attacks, racking up a Premier League 62 touches in the opposition penalty area but with too little quality in their final ball.
Ilkay Gundogan spurned a great chance to put City into the lead as they hit a total of 27 shots on the Brentford goal but only 5 were on target – Brentford had 6 shots on target from 8 in all with only 25% of the possession.
And Toney had the last word as he took advantage of a lengthy stoppage time to treat Aymeric Laporte for a head injury earlier to hit the winner after 98 minutes with City desperately looking for a late winner themselves.
Toney almost underlined his response to his England rejection with a hat trick but was denied shortly before the end by a goal line clearance by Kevin De Bruyne and the Bees duly completed a double over both Manchester Premier League teams.
Embed from Getty ImagesPep Guardiola made eight changes for City’s 500th game played at the Etihad Stadium and the last game before the World Cup break.
Erling Haaland returned to the starting lineup after a spell on the sidelines as only Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri, and Aymeric Laporte stayed in the team from the side that beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Haaland was the only starter who was confirmed to be missing out on the World Cup as everyone else will be joining up with their national teams after today.
Kalvin Phillips started on the bench again while Kyle Walker, who was also named in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad for England, was not in the squad and will have to prove his fitness for the World Cup once he joins up with the national team.
Brentford were off to a good start and Ederson was tested within three minutes when Bryan Mbeumo shot straight at him when clean through.
Mbeumo also had a shot blocked by Joao Cancelo before Rico Henry ran 80 yards on the break, saw his cross tipped away by Ederson before the Brazilian keeper was forced into another save when Mbeumo squared the ball for Ivan Toney who couldn’t beat the City keeper.
David Raya was busy too, coming out of his line to bravely get to the a ball before Haaland could reach it, with Ilkay Gundogan wasting a chance to shoot on the empty goal fro 40 yards out.
Kevin De Bruyne crossed for Haaland but his header back into the six yard box was over the head of Gundogan in a busy start for City.
Both sides had chances to score but it was Brentford who got themselves ahead when Ivan Toney headed home Ben Mee’s flick on of David Raya’s free kick from 6 yards out after the Brentford man – overlooked by Gareth Southgate for England – got to the ball ahead of Aymeric Laporte.
City were startled into action and De Bruyne sent a ball wide of the far post, Phil Foden had a shot blocked and Cancelo blazed over as Brentford proceeded to make life difficult for the home side.
The crowd were on their feet when Bernardo Silva claimed for a penalty after his cross hit the outstretched arm of Rico Henry going into the box.
The handball was given but the offence could not be verified as in the box by VAR so a free kick on the edge of the box was given instead.
And there was mayhem as City tried several times to get the ball into a shooting position before the Belgian went down in the box under pressure from Henry – VAR quickly decided there was no spot kick there either.
City kept turning the screw though Stones blazed over at the end of a multi pass City move and Foden saw a shot saved by Raya and also sent a cross into the box too high for Haaland.
Even Laporte tried his luck from distance as City were well and truly frustrated by Brentford who looked a threat on the break if City lost the ball.
City finally levelled in added time when Foden blasted the ball past Raya and into the roof of the net from 12 yards following a De Bruyne corner for his eighth goal of the season.
Aymeric Laporte suffers head injury as Manchester City fall to Ivan Toney double
Bernardro Silva headed over early in the second half before Aymeric Laporte went down with a serious looking cut to the head after tangling with a Brentford defender at a corner.
After a lengthy injury delay for running repairs the bandaged up Spain International was ready to go again.
Cancelo’s goal bound shot was deflected behind by Zanka while Laporte shanked his own effort wide.
Brentford brought Christian Norgaard on for Vitaly Janelt after 62 minutes to better protect their defence.
And Ilkay Gundogan blazed over after a great move went through Stones, Akanji, and De Bruyne before the German failed to put the finishing touch to it.
Ivan Toney had a shot saved by Ederson while Laporte cleared Rico Henry’s cross before it could reach the Brentford striker.
Rodri also saw a shot saved by Raya who fumbled a shot by Cancelo for a corner as Brentford freshened up the side by bringing on Yoanne Wissa for Mbeumo with 17 minutes to go.
Wissa was fouled by Foden and with 10 minutes to go Mathias Jensen sailed past everyone.
De Bruyne hit a hopeful shot into the arms of Raya with time starting to run out for City before Cancelo was booked for diving after running onto a through ball by Foden.
Cancelo was immediately brought off for Julian Alvarez while Josh Dasilva replaced Frank Onyeka.
And Argentine striker Alvarez was involved immediately when he ran down the left with the ball and squared for Haaland only for the big Norwegian to slip as the ball went behind him.
And as the game went into ten minutes of injury time Ederson saved at the feet of Toney and Manuel Akanji blazed over from a ludicrous distance while Foden was a bit closer.
Eventually, City overcommitted and Brentford broke on them deep into injury time from their own corner.
A cross field ball came from the left and was squared back to Toney by Josh Dasilva who had outpaced the retreating City defence and nipped in front of Gundogan, Toney hit his third brace of the season – only Haaland had done so more times this term.
And Toney was denied a hat trick by De Bruyne who cleared another break off the line right at the end as the Bees continued made it 16 Premier League games without defeat when they have scored first and City lost their first Premier League game since February.
GOALS – Manchester City 1, Brentford 2
Man City 0, Brentford 1: 16. A Brentford set piece ended up in the back of the City net when Ivan Toney was allowed to head home Ben Mee’s flick on of David Raya’s free kick from 6 yards out beyond Ederson’s grasp.
Man City 1, Brentford 1: 45+1. Phil Foden slammed the ball past Raya at speed after getting on the end of Kevin De Bruyne’s corner from 12 yards out.
Man City 1, Brentford 2: 90+8. Ivan Toney had a tap in from 6 yards after Josh Dasilva squared the ball to him following a fast Brentford break.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 1, Brentford 2
Man City: Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Laporte, Cancelo (Alvarez 87), Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan (C), Foden, Bernardo Silva, Haaland
Man City Subs: Ortega, Dias, Phillips, Grealish, Gomez, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis
Booked: Haaland 37 (foul on Zanka); Cancelo 84 (simulation)
Goal: Foden 45+1
Brentford: Raya, Zanka, Mee, Pinnock, Roerslev, Onyeka (Dasilva 87), Janelt (Norgaard 62), Jensen, Henry, Mbeumo (Wissa 73), Toney (C)
Brentford Subs not used: Cox, Canos, Ghoddos, Lewis-Potter, Crama, Cox, Yarmoliuk
Booked: Mbeumo 72 (foul on Ilkay Gundogan); Jensen (foul on Kevin De Bruyne 90+1)
Goals: Toney 16, 90+8
Referee: Peter Bankes
Attendance: 52,786