Pep Guardiola raged against the machine, but if there were doubts that it had been broken here, the proof to expel them.
A side that the Premier League ordered after four consecutive title profits is now not good on an industrial scale.
His own goal from Abdukodir Khusanov produced the most miserable statistics of Guardiolas Nine -year -old government.
City has now admitted 40 league goals this season, more than in any other campaign under their manager.
Not only have they lost their Mojo as the best team -based team on the planet, their world at the back has fallen apart.
A Champions League spot is still a possibility – because it is now very bad for the rising seagulls of Fabian Hurzeler.
But just as there were many empty blue chairs in the Etihad, the proof that faith loses the believers, so the city runs out, deprived of almost everything that made them so special for so long.
The only good news from a personal point of view for Guardiola after another stuttering display was that he did not lose a tenth competition match this season.
He has never lost more than nine campaign in a shimmering career that started in Barcelona for Bayern Munich.
But even he would not bet by his side that he would be a shocking tenth at the end of this campaign – at least.
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Yet he would have touched that Nadir, Carlos Baleba did not let a golden chance gone away from the end.
Joao Pedro stuck low from the left, Dias missed the interception, making the midfielder free – only to blow wildly over the bar with the goal of his grace.
All the way through Guardiola kicked every ball on the touchline, argued and gestures with players who now performed as if they were being grabbed by mass memory loss.
But he also looked a lonely, deserted figure, in his black jacket, tortured by the shortcomings of one side that once looked like it was indestructible.
From the beginning they got wrong with Stefan Ortega who set the tone of test and oppression.
Seagulls Broad Man Kauro Mitoma met a cross to give a weak strike to the goalkeeper who was inserted after no. 1 Edererson withdrew with a belly injury.
He got both hands on the ball, but lost his handle and while Ortega fell in him and only forced the ball over the line for referee Simon Hooper to prove that the attacker had used an arm in the collision.
Hurzler's men also looked confident and brash that they could do.
Since they were beaten 7-0 by Nottingham Forest at the beginning of February, they had responded in a sparkling style and won six games on the bounce in all competitions.
But City, who had never been lost at home in their history of Brighton, was still ahead of the 11th minute thanks to the penalty of Erling Haaland.
Skipper Adam Webster dived into a challenge at Omar Marmoush for what a stone wall spot kick was and Haaland made himself some history of completing 100 goal-oriented involvement, 84 of them.
He took the record of Alan Shearer, but Brighton benefited Van Meer Dodgy and this time fatal work by Ortega.
Pervis Estupinan delivered a free kick of only about 20 meters that cost a small deflection.
The German went to the right to intercept and then stopped inexplicably – clearly convinced that the ball became wide – except that he would fly inside the inside of the post.
Ortega had embarrassed the first mistake, but this in the 21st minute was a shocking blunder and he looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him when Estupinan celebrated his first prem goal since December 2023.
There was hesitation, indecision and a lack of pizzzaz over the entire side of the city, but they were back in the lead for the 38th minute – and this time their opponents shot those who shot themselves.
The sloppy pass of Jack Hinshelwood was picked up by Ilkay Gundogan, who immediately sent to Marmoush.
The defense of the seagulls was wide open and the man who would be the Eygptian king of the Etihad walked straight with a right foot text for which Bart Verbruggen could not even move.
The fourth goal of Marmoush since his arrival of £ 59 million from January from Eintracht Frankfurt did not do much to enliven his teammates.
It was a desperate challenge from Abdukodir to deny Joao Pedro, anything but clean after a mixture between Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol just before the break.
Five minutes after Hurzeler's side was the same, the city and their defenders responded again mainly than at the start of the city and the moment they moved in quicksand.
Webster got up to put a header over the box of power, Hinshelwood first moved to the ball and Khusanov, in an attempt to save the day again, aroused an attempt that went wide in his own net.
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