- Manchester City faces Brentford in a Premier League match at Etihad Stadium in Manchester
- City racked up 29 goalscoring opportunities but only managed six
- The loss leaves City in second place in the table
Ivan Toney scored twice to give Brentford a 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday, snapping City’s 16-game home winning streak.
Toney, who was omitted from England’s World Cup team this week, opened the score for Brentford in the 16th minute by redirecting Ben Mee’s header.
Phil Foden connected with a deflected pass and sent it soaring into the upper right corner of the goal just before halftime, but Toney was the hero as he tucked in a close-range drive in the 98th minute to give Brentford the victory.
Aymeric Laporte, who has been named to Spain’s World Cup roster, was treated for a cut on his forehead caused by an accidental elbow from Ethan Pinnock immediately after the halftime break.
Brentford’s defense smothered City’s offense and limited attacker Erling Haaland to a number of half-chances, despite the fact that the visitors had 29 opportunities to score.
This set the situation for Toney’s game-winning goal as Brentford broke forward deep in second-half stoppage time, and the 26-year-old made no mistake as he buried his shot to secure a surprise triumph.
Toney stated after the game, “Obviously [being left off the England squad] was a disappointment, but I know what I’m capable of and I won’t let it bring me down; I’ll just keep going and keep performing well for Brentford.”
“Clearly, the inspiration comes from the players in the locker room and the supporters. This is what we can do through diligent effort.”
The result places City in second place in the rankings, two points behind champions Arsenal, who will face Wolverhampton Wanderers later on Saturday; tenth place is held by Brentford.
“The superior team prevailed, as we struggled from the start and were unable to defend against their long balls. Typically, you win by pressing the ball, but this was different. They defended so strongly and well, “According to city manager Pep Guardiola
“We have performed admirably in both the Champions League and the Premier League. Now, we will return and prepare for the second half of the season.”
