The former City midfielder reflected on a frustrating afternoon in which Stuart Dallas’ stoppage time strike secured all three points for the visitors in an impressive tactical display.
With Liam Cooper dismissed for a rash challenge on Gabriel Jesus in first half added time, Pep Guardiola’s men understandably dominated and Ferran Torres hauled us level in the 76th minute to cancel out Dallas’ opener.
But our opponents weathered the storm and snatched victory late on to inflict an unlikely setback at the Etihad Stadium.
While no defeat is easy to swallow, Pep Guardiola’s men will be buoyed by our phenomenal run of form prior to Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, in which we had won 27 of our previous 28 matches in all competitions.
Speaking on We’re Not Really Here (#WNRH), Brown insists the result doesn’t tarnish that record and urged City to set their sights on Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg away to Borussia Dortmund.
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“Let’s look forward, it’s been incredible - we’ve hardly seen a loss,” the former City midfielder reflected.
“We all love football, today as a City fan we aren’t going to enjoy these results but it makes you better, you learn from them.
“This team gets through games like no other. It’s such a great game ahead of us Wednesday that I feel the club will be really excited to play in.
“Those players will be a bit disappointed today, but that game is just around the corner, it’s huge opportunity, latter stages of the Champions League. Bring it on.”
Brown was joined by Kevin Horlock in the We’re Not Really Here studio, and the former City wide man agreed with his teammate’s sentiments.
He also expects us to be quick out of the traps on Wednesday night against Dortmund in our quest to rectify a frustrating day at the office.
Horlock said: “It’s different if you’re losing a run of games (but) we all know what this team possesses, they can win any game at any time.
“It was a blip, but I expect City to be all guns blazing on Wednesday, hopefully get a really positive result to see us into the semis.”
There was plenty to smile about after our thrilling victory in Tuesday night’s first leg, but City fans were greeted by further good news the following morning, with Kevin De Bruyne extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium to 2025.
Since joining in 2015, the Belgian has established himself as both a firm fan favourite and one of the finest creative midfielders on the planet.
And Brown believes that De Bruyne putting pen to paper on a new deal represents a real statement of intent.
“Kevin De Bruyne signing makes everybody else stand up and take notice,” he commented.
“He’s an incredible player, what he brings, he’s a leader in many ways around the dressing room and on the pitch, we know what he brings.
“If I’m thinking ‘do I want to stay at the football club, do I want to come in’, he sets that standard. It’s great news for Manchester City.
“It’s almost embarrassing, when I do commentary or I sit in here, I just keep saying good things about him!
“Players want to win and set a legacy and De Bruyne leads the way with that, no doubt.
“There’s a great trust a great relationship and he wants to stay, he wants to be at the football club, it’s brilliant.”
The Belgian’s new deal means he joins a number of his teammates in agreeing to commit their long term future to City.
And Horlock believes that securing De Bruyne’s signature until 2025 is testament to the way in which the club is persistently looking towards future success.
He said: “It’s a massive statement - a number of players are secured for the future, and that signature is massive.
“It’s unbelievable for the future, unbelievable for Manchester City fans.
“It’s not all about money, although they get paid well obviously, and rightly so, they want to be at this football club.
“It’s run properly, the facilities are unbelievable, they’ve got an owner that wants to back it, push it forward and always develop and we have a top manager.”
We’re Not Really Here has been running since the Premier League restart in June 2020, providing a City-focused perspective to fans’ matchday experience for each and every first team game.
It is available to watch for free on all of our digital platforms, getting underway one hour ahead of kick-off, before reconvening at half-time and after the final whistle.
Kevin Horlock and Richard Dunne will be the special guests for our Champions League clash against Dortmund, joining host Cel Spellman for incisive analysis and plenty of laughs!
Click here for more information.
