In a dramatic Women's Super League encounter, Madison Haley delivered a standout performance by scoring two goals, helping Brighton overturn an early deficit to defeat title‑chasing Manchester City 3-2. The match began with City asserting their dominance, carving out an opening chance that materialised when Kerolin found the back of the net.
Despite the early lead, Brighton remained resilient, and the momentum shifted dramatically in first‑half stoppage time when American forward Haley equalised, catching City off guard and setting the tone for an enthralling second half. After the restart, Brighton seized the initiative when Kiko Seike struck a powerful shot to put the visitors ahead. The goal reignited Brighton's confidence, and Haley soon added her second of the night, further extending the gap and cementing her status as the match's decisive player. Manchester City, however, refused to capitulate; Khadija Shaw pulled one back late in the game, setting the stage for a tense finale.
In the end, City suffered their third league defeat of the season, a setback that leaves them still needing five points from their final two fixtures to keep pace with third‑placed Arsenal, who enjoy three games in hand. Andree Jeglertz, the manager of Manchester City, addressed the media after the loss, acknowledging the team's shortcomings while emphasizing the importance of learning from the experience. "It was a tough game but it is about scoring goals. We created a lot of chances in the first half and we needed to score.
On the other hand, we need to protect our penalty box a little better," Jeglertz said. He stressed the need for concentration throughout the full 90 minutes, noting that the team dropped percentages at crucial moments and paid the price. "It's important we learn from this game.
I told the players it is so important that during the 90 minutes, we are really focused in all situations. Today we dropped a couple of percentages in some moments and we were punished," he added. Looking ahead, Jeglertz expressed confidence that the squad would regroup and refocus ahead of their upcoming clash with Liverpool. "I'm not worried.
Unfortunately you learn a lot in these games and I am fully sure that when we are back in training, we will be focused for Liverpool next week. We are following the other results and it is still in our hands. We will do everything we can to finish off with two wins," he affirmed. City captain Alex Greenwood echoed a similar sentiment, highlighting the missed opportunities and the need to stay positive.
"It wasn't part of the plan. This is a really good side – we knew it was going to be a tough game here.
The first half we had the better chances for sure and we probably should have been further ahead than we were. We let them back into the game just before half-time which was quite disappointing and then we missed the small details in the second half and let the game get away from us. While it is still in our hands, we need to stay really positive and look forward to next week.
Two cup finals, two wins, that's the mentality moving forward," Greenwood explained. For Brighton, the victory was a testament to their growing cohesion and determination. Player of the match Madison Haley reflected on the team's performance, noting that the first half had been a learning curve but the second half saw the execution of their game plan.
"For us it was more about tightening up. We knew what the game plan was, we were just not executing it in the first half, but we had moments. Getting the goal right before half-time was important for us, but it was more building on the things that were breaking down in the first half in the second.
Credit to the girls working hard. They put pressure on us in the final minutes but we stayed together and got three points," Haley said. Haley also spoke about the season's progression, acknowledging that earlier performances had not always translated into results, but persistence eventually paid off.
"At the beginning of this year the performances were there but unfortunately we weren't getting the results. We knew if we kept playing and doing the right things the result would come good. We are seeing the fruits of our labour now.
We have some really big games coming up, some really hard games, but we are looking to get to Wembley and all of these games are preparations for us to try to get into that final," she added. The win propels Brighton further up the table and provides a morale boost as they prepare for upcoming fixtures, including crucial cup ties that could see them reach Wembley. Meanwhile, Manchester City must regroup quickly, address defensive lapses, and sharpen their finishing to remain in contention for the title.
Both teams now face a series of challenging matches that will test their depth, tactical flexibility, and mental resilience as the season reaches its climax.