Man City 0-1 Brighton: Ayari's early goal ends a 17-match wait at City and moves Seagulls two points off the top
Yasin Ayari's 11th-minute goal gave Brighton their first win at Man City in 18 tries. City had 21 shots, no goal and lost twice in a row under Maresca.
At a glance
- Brighton won 1-0 at Manchester City on Saturday, October 31, 2026, with Yasin Ayari scoring in the 11th minute.
- It was Brighton's first win away to City in any competition, at the 18th attempt.
- City took 21 shots but failed to score at home in the league for the first time in 23 games, and lost back-to-back league games for the first time since August 2025.
- Brighton are third on 19 points, two behind City, who lead Arsenal on goal difference. Arsenal, with a game in hand, go to Liverpool on Sunday.
Brighton beat Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad on Saturday, their first win away to City in any competition at the 18th attempt. Yasin Ayari scored in the 11th minute, and it was enough to lift Fabian Hürzeler's side to third, two points off the top.
City had lost at Aston Villa a week earlier. This is the first time they have lost consecutive league games since August 2025, and it comes three days after they knocked Brighton out of the Carabao Cup on penalties at the same ground.
The clearance that cost City the game
The goal grew out of a free-kick that Brighton's Lewis Dunk swept out to Diego Gómez. Matheus Nunes failed to clear the danger, the ball came back into the box through Maxim De Cuyper, and Ayari finished into an empty net with Gianluigi Donnarumma stranded. Some reports questioned whether the free-kick should have been given at all, since it was awarded for a challenge by Elliot Anderson on Ayari.
Enzo Maresca had made bold calls before kick-off, leaving out Marc Guéhi and Rayan Cherki. Neither Nunes's mistake nor the changes helped. Cherki came on after 55 minutes, and Phil Foden was introduced later as City chased the game.
21 shots and nothing to show for it
City had plenty of the ball, and the closest they came fell to Ndiaye. A long run and shot was palmed onto the woodwork by Bart Verbruggen in the second half, one of the efforts of the afternoon. Erling Haaland was also denied before half-time, and Nunes forced a save from the Brighton goalkeeper. At the other end, Donnarumma had to stop efforts from Pascal Gross and De Cuyper.
| Key number | Figure |
|---|---|
| City shots | 21, their most without scoring in a home league game since November 2024 |
| City's home scoring run | Ended after 23 league games |
| Brighton's record at City before today | Played 17, drawn 5, lost 12 |
| Brighton's last six league games | Five wins |
| Brighton clean sheets this season | Six, the most in the league |
How the top of the table looks tonight
| Pos | Team | Played | Won-Drawn-Lost | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 9 | 7-0-2 | +10 | 21 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 8 | 7-0-1 | +8 | 21 |
| 3 | Brighton | 9 | 6-1-2 | +17 | 19 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 9 | 5-1-3 | - | 16 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 8 | - | - | 15 |
Brighton's goal difference is already the best of the top three. Chelsea are fourth after their 2-0 win over Manchester United earlier on Saturday.
The rest of Saturday's Premier League
| Match | Score | Scorers |
|---|---|---|
| Chelsea v Manchester United | 2-0 | Rogers, Palmer (pen) |
| Bournemouth v Leeds | 2-0 | Evanilson, Adli |
| Brentford v Nottingham Forest | 2-0 | Milenkovic (og), Thiago |
| Coventry v Sunderland | 3-1 | Sakamoto, Awoniyi, Rudoni; Le Fée (pen) |
| Hull v Ipswich | 2-2 | Iroegbunam, McBurnie; Florentino, Enciso |
Tottenham v Crystal Palace and Aston Villa v Fulham finish later tonight.
Sunday could change the picture again
Arsenal go to Liverpool on Sunday, November 1, knowing a win would take them three points clear of City at the top. Brighton's next league game will decide whether they can hold on to third place.
