Ayari on target as Brighton stun Manchester City to close gap on leaders

Yasin Ayari scored the winner as Brighton stunned Manchester City with a 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium to move two points off the top Manchester City have lost two consecutive league games but no alarm should be sounded. Enzo Maresca’s fast-passing team were defeated on Saturday because Yasin Ayari took one of Brighton’s rare chances, the 11th-minute winner deriving from what appeared a wrongly awarded free-kick for Elliot Anderson’s “foul” on the same player. Fabian Hürzeler’s side can be proud of victory here – and of being third.

They are worth the lofty position and who would bet against Champions League qualification for them? They can be proud of protecting their lead admirably because Maresca’s men kept coming at them. City’s problem was the final touch or finish and not creating enough for the lethal Erling Haaland. When Nico O’Reilly, a secondphalf substitute, zipped the ball across goal towards the end, Iliman Ndiaye sprayed wide: a fair summation of what cost City. Ndiaye and Josko Gvardiol were replaced after this by Phil Foden