Man City beaten by Brighton as Yasin Ayari makes amends for midweek penalty miss
Ayari missed a spot-kick in Wednesday’s shoot-out defeat in the Carabao Cup against City but scored the only goal of the game on Saturday.
Brighton avenged their Carabao Cup loss to Manchester City as they held on for a narrow 1-0 win over the Premier League leaders on Saturday.
Yasin Ayari made amends for Wednesday’s penalty miss as his early strike enabled the Seagulls to deliver on manager Fabian Hurzeler’s stated desire for revenge following their midweek shoot-out defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
It was a second successive Premier League defeat for leaders City after opening the campaign with seven wins in a row.
Champions Arsenal will now have the chance to move above City when they travel to Liverpool on Sunday.
Brighton opted to stay in the Manchester area after the cup game at the same venue and will feel their decision has been vindicated.
Although they had to withstand fierce late pressure to do so, by bouncing back from the cup agony and last weekend’s defeat at Liverpool, Hurzeler’s side are now just two points off the top.
After making wholesale changes in midweek, both sides were back closer to full strength although City boss Enzo Maresca dropped centre-back Marc Guehi after his poor recent form.
The Italian also chose to field Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez together in midfield, naming in-form playmakers Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden on the bench.
It was Brighton who seized the initiative, taking the lead after 11 minutes.
Lewis Dunk, who along with Ayari missed a penalty on Wednesday, released Diego Gomez with a ball down the right from a free-kick and Matheus Nunes failed to cut out his low cross.
The ball rebounded kindly off the ankles of Maxim De Cuyper to present Ayari with a simple finish from close range.
City responded positively with the lively Iliman Ndiaye providing their most likely route back into the game.
The Senegal international should have levelled when picked out by Anderson but he headed wide with Bart Verbruggen beaten.
He did not let the miss affect him and he tested Verbruggen after a weaving run. He also drove a low cross into the box that appeared to strike the hand of Dunk, but nothing was given.
Brighton could have doubled their lead early in the second half when De Cuyper blazed over but City stepped up the tempo.
Ndiaye went close again as Verbruggen tipped his powerful effort onto the post and then he almost teed up Erling Haaland with a cross that Luka Vuskovic cut out. With Verbruggen gathering City appealed for a back-pass, but referee Craig Pawson again ignored their claims.
Nunes then drew a save from Verbruggen before Ndiaye was left to rue another miss when he slammed into the side-netting from a Nico O’Reilly pass.
Georginio Rutter shot wide as Brighton made what, by the latter stages, was a rare foray outside their own half but City battled on.
O’Reilly and Cherki both went close for City but time ran out for the hosts.