Brutal Brighton chant to Pep Guardiola evokes painful Man City memories in historic defeat

This is what supporting Manchester City used to be like.

Travelling to the other side of the country on the back of a bad run of form, more in hope than expectation. Travelling for the day out rather than the football. If City win, even better.

Pep Guardiola has completely turned the notion of 'Typical City' on its head over the last nine years. Wins are expected. So are titles. When he says it's normal that teams lose and titles aren't guaranteed, we tend to laugh it off as Pep getting into his own head; of course they will put 10, 20 wins together at the end of the season to win another title. Champions again, as the song goes.

But this situation is one Guardiola has been warning about for years. 'One day we will stop winning', he has said on multiple occasions. Three losses on the bounce this week threw City back to an era they had long left behind, and even the idea of four defeats in a row reminds fans of a period fans have probably locked away and intentionally forgotten.

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A run of 10 defeats in 11 Premier League games between March and August 2006 saw City lose four games straight twice in quick succession under Stuart Pearce.

Bernardo Corradi, Ben Thatcher, Ousmane Dabo and Joey Barton started the last time City lost a fourth game in a row, back when Dabo and Barton were just teammates. The teamsheet at Brighton was packed with significantly more quality, but was arguably just as ramshackled and disjointed.

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who was just nine months old in that previous losing streak, earned a second successive start and a Premier League debut, partnering Josko Gvardiol at centre-back. It was a pairing made up of the fifth and sixth-choice central defenders at Guardiola's disposal (to be generous) to expose the deep-rooted injury crisis that shows no sign of improving.

Guardiola had no choice but to change his team, yet his decision to watch the warm-ups pre-match felt deliberate. This is usually the time he retreats to a quiet dressing room but here he was, walking up and down the touchline and watching both squads intensely.

Jurgen Klopp would be proud - was Guardiola looking for something new from his team to inspire a team talk, checking they were showing the required mentality, or was he too anxious to stay inside? Whatever the reason, it added to the feel that this was a different kind of game than City are used to with more at stake than simply three points.

Despite the nerves and switch up in pre-match rituals, City actually looked like City in the first half. Matheus Nunes and Savinho were getting joy on the flanks, Foden was coming deep effectively, and Simpson-Pusey was getting stuck in. Savinho saw an effort well-saved and Haaland blazed an inviting Foden free kick back to where it came from.

Haaland has struggled with the chances that came his way in City's losing run - with xG figures suggesting he had underperformed by as many as 4.5 goals in his last three games - but he made no mistake when Mateo Kovacic slipped him through with a perfectly-weighted pass. He needed two attempts to smash the ball into the roof of the net after Bart Verbruggen saved, but the grin on the striker's face told the whole story.

Guardiola called over Kovacic for a word before the restart. The Croatian had also come in for some flak in recent weeks however this was a fine assist, intercepting a dangerous attack, gliding through the midfield and putting it on a plate for the striker. He teed himself up for a dipping volley later in what was a much better performance at both ends than previous outings.

Brighton sent warnings - Danny Welbeck forcing a sliding Gvardiol to block before tempting a booking out of Rico Lewis - and it was City who welcomed the break more despite being ahead. Ederson was needed to produce a stunning reflex save soon after to keep his side ahead, and he was then quick off his line to deny Kaoru Mitoma.

Walker's blushes were spared when Joao Pedro fired wide after outpacing the right-back, prompting a heated exchange between captain and manager on the touchline.

But Pedro would have the last laugh - digging the ball out from under his feet to level after Lewis and Gvardiol failed to clear. Then, he strode past two City shirts to slip in Matt O'Riley and City were condemned to a historic defeat.

'Sacked in the morning', sang the Brighton fans, and Guardiola looked exasperated on the touchline. He argued with Brighton staff and defender Jan Paul van Hecke on the pitch at full time. He will relish a break.

Attention will turn to his future now during the international window where he traditionally signs contract extensions. He may be more concerned with how to turn around a run of defeats he has never faced and an injury crisis that feels never-ending. The pressure certainly looked to be getting to him on the south coast.

After nine years, the boss finally gets to feel what Typical City is.