Manchester City, with Doku but without De Bruyne, dismisses Brentford and comes back to within one point of Liverpool

While he fielded Oscar Bobb, who only featured in seven Premier League matches for a total of 112 minutes, Pep Guardiola left De Bruyne and Doku on the bench.

After a few minutes of setting up, the Sky Blues circulated the ball well in the Brentford area, but waited before creating the first opportunity missed by Bernardo Silva (34th).

Thanks to Ben Mee, who saved a shot from Bobb on the line, Brentford held on (37th). In the second half, the technical mastery of the Citizens remained sterile until Julian Alvarez launched Haaland in depth (71st, 1-0). Subsequently, the Citizens ensured their success by taking as few risks as possible.