Brighton won 1-0 at Manchester City on 31 October in round 9 of the Premier League, with midfielder Yasin Ayari scoring the only goal on 11 minutes. According to SGGP, it was Brighton's first win at the Etihad in 18 visits, and it left City with back-to-back league defeats.
An early goal and a stubborn defence
SGGP describes the goal: captain Lewis Dunk took a quick free-kick, Diego Gomez drove a low ball across from the right, Matheus Nunes missed his clearance and Maxim De Cuyper laid it back for Ayari to finish into the far corner past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Dan Tri frames it as revenge, coming two days after City had knocked Brighton out of the League Cup at the same ground.
The rest of the game was largely City attacking. Iliman Ndiaye headed narrowly wide and Dunk made two goal-line blocks to deny Erling Haaland. Enzo Maresca sent on Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden after the break, but goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen held firm.
The numbers
Compiled by KBVN+ from SGGP and Bongda24h:
| Stat | Figure |
|---|---|
| Man City shots | 21 |
| Man City expected goals (xG) | 1.92 |
| Verbruggen saves | 7 |
| City's Premier League scoring run ended | 24 games |
| Haaland's scoring run ended | 9 games |
SGGP cites estimates valuing City's starting line-up at around £750m against about £160m for Brighton's, with Ayari signed for £3.5m. City have conceded 13 goals in their last 6 home games and have lost two league games in a row for the first time since August 2025, after a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa the previous weekend.
Reaction
Maresca lamented that City, the league's second-highest scorers, keep conceding avoidable goals, SGGP reports. Speaking to City Studios, as relayed by Bongda24h, he said his side had created enough chances to win and reminded everyone that the season is only nine games old. Midfielder Elliot Anderson admitted that falling behind early made life difficult at home.
The table and what comes next
Brighton have 19 points after 9 games, sit third and are 2 points behind City, their best start in Premier League history according to Dan Tri. The result also opened the door for Arsenal, who beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield on 1 November to go top. Anderson said City would use the next few days to regroup before returning to Champions League action.