Ayari strike gives Brighton 1-0 win at Man City, avenging League Cup exit
Days after losing a League Cup shootout, Brighton won at the Etihad. City suffered a second straight league defeat as Brighton closed to within two points of the top.
Archive image · Photo: Arne Müseler, cropped by Blackcat / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de (cropped and resized)
Brighton & Hove Albion beat Manchester City 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday. Yasin Ayari scored from close range in the 11th minute after a low cross from Diego Gomez deflected off Maxim De Cuyper into his path. Ayari had missed a penalty in midweek as Brighton lost a League Cup shootout to City after a 2-2 draw.
City had 62% possession and 20 shots but only five on target, according to 101 Great Goals. Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen tipped an Iliman Ndiaye effort onto the post, and Lewis Dunk blocked an Erling Haaland shot shortly before halftime. City manager Enzo Maresca left Marc Guehi out of the starting lineup, with Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden on the bench.
It was City's second straight league defeat. They stay top for now with 21 points from nine games, level with Arsenal, who have a game in hand and visit Liverpool on Sunday. Brighton are third on 19 points.