MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City got its Premier League title defense back on track with a 2-1 win over Brighton built on early goals by Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland on Saturday.

City had lost its last two league games — to Wolverhampton and Arsenal — and was looking to avoid three in a row for the first time under Pep Guardiola.

Alvarez put the champions ahead in the seventh minute by turning in a cut-back from Jeremy Doku, who was a danger every time he got the ball on the left wing.

Haaland added a second goal, and his ninth in the league this season, after he latched onto Carlos Baleba’s errant back-pass and smashed a low shot into the net from just outside the area in the 19th.

Brighton pulled a goal back through Ansu Fati in the 73rd minute.

The visitors had left back Solly March carried off on a stretcher in stoppage time, during which City defender Manuel Akanji was sent off for picking up a second yellow card.

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