Brighton Beat Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad for Club's First Win There, Cutting Gap to Two Points

Brighton had never beaten Manchester City away. They tried 17 times. On the 18th, at the Etihad on Saturday, they got it done.

Yasin Ayari scored in the 11th minute and Brighton held on for a 1-0 win. Bart Verbruggen made seven saves to protect it.

How the goal happened

The move started with a free-kick on the right, given against City's Elliot Anderson for a foul on Ayari. The Guardian's match report called it an apparently wrongly awarded free-kick. Maresca said afterward he had not seen the incident back.

Lewis Dunk played the dead ball to Diego Gómez. Gómez crossed, Matheus Nunes missed his clearance, and the ball came back in via Maxim De Cuyper. Ayari finished from around six yards at the far post, with Gianluigi Donnarumma stranded. It was his third goal of the season.

From there, City dominated. They had 21 shots, but only six were on target, and none beat Verbruggen.

City's missed chances

Iliman Ndiaye was the main culprit. He headed a cross wide, shot at the goalkeeper after a long slaloming run, had a second-half effort tipped onto the bar, and sent a late cross-field chance wide. Dunk blocked two goalbound Erling Haaland shots.

Haaland's run of scoring in seven straight Premier League games ended. City also failed to score at home in the league for the first time in 23 games, since a 2-0 loss to Spurs in August 2025.

"We created a lot of chances, disappointing to lose. Didn't manage to put chances away, on another day we put three or four away," Anderson said.

Maresca made the same case, pointing at defending. "In this moment we are conceding silly goals that we can avoid," he said. "I think we did enough to deserve something but we need to move on and try to win games."

He also noted City are the second-highest scorers in the league.

Brighton's run

Brighton have won five of their last six league games and kept a clean sheet in all five wins. Their six clean sheets are the most in the Premier League this season. They have six wins and a draw from their first nine games.

They also beat Arsenal convincingly earlier this season.

The win came three days after City knocked Brighton out of the League Cup at the same ground. Brighton led twice in that tie, and City won the shootout 4-3 after Ayari and Dunk had Brighton's last two penalties saved. Manager Fabian Hürzeler said he felt aggrieved by that result.

Hürzeler said his team "had a little bit of luck but, in the end, deserved it." He refused to talk title. "Of course, we're not speaking about the championship," he said, adding that the day demanded a defensive mindset.

Verbruggen said the team lost control of the last 30 to 40 minutes. "Unbelievable feeling," he told Sky Sports.

The table

City have 21 points, level with Arsenal, and stay top only on goal difference. Arsenal have played one game fewer. Brighton are third on 19.

City won their first seven league games under Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola. The first loss was 2-1 at Aston Villa on Oct. 24. The Guardian's match report said "no alarm should be sounded" over the two defeats and that Maresca's stewardship "continues to impress, three months in."

The on-field story sits next to a bigger one. City were found guilty on more than 100 charges of breaking Premier League financial rules. They have appealed. If the verdict stands, AFP reports they are likely to face a severe points penalty and possible relegation, which would make any league position this season provisional.

Elsewhere

Manchester United lost 2-0 at Chelsea. It was their ninth straight game without a win, their longest such run in 38 years, and Michael Carrick's future is in doubt. United sit outside the relegation zone only on goal difference.

Arsenal visit Liverpool on Sunday, Nov. 1. A draw or win there puts them top ahead of City. The appeal against City's verdict remains unresolved.