For the best part of a decade, a trip to the Etihad was the fixture Brighton fans circled in dread. On Halloween, Fabian Hürzeler’s side finally broke the spell. A first-half goal from Yasin Ayari and an inspired afternoon from goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen gave the Seagulls a 1-0 win over Manchester City, the club’s first ever victory at the Etihad Stadium.
UPDATE, Sunday 1 November: Arsenal did take advantage. Kai Havertz tapped in Declan Rice’s cross in the 16th minute after Alisson gave the ball away, and Arsenal held on to win 1-0 at Anfield, their first top-flight win at Liverpool in more than 14 years. The goal made Havertz the highest-scoring German in Premier League history. Arsenal go back to the top of the table, three points clear of Manchester City, while Liverpool sit fifth.
Sources: ESPN, Sports Mole
It also leaves Enzo Maresca, Pep Guardiola’s successor, nursing back-to-back Premier League defeats and opens the door for Arsenal to go top if they win at Anfield this afternoon.
An early gift and a goalkeeping masterclass
The decisive moment came after 11 minutes. Matheus Nunes misjudged an attempted clearance, Brighton kept the ball alive through Maxim De Cuyper and Diego Gomez, and Ayari finished from close range, according to reports from Sky Sports and Football Today.
From there it was largely one-way traffic. City piled forward and Verbruggen made seven saves, Sky Sports reported, including a sharp stop from Nunes and a late block to deny Jérémy Doku. Iliman Ndiaye hit the crossbar, Erling Haaland went close from a corner and Nico O’Reilly headed wide late on. Brighton had their own escape at the other end when De Cuyper struck the woodwork, while City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Gomez in the first half.
The result is a remarkable turnaround for Brighton, who had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup on penalties on the same ground only four days earlier.
Brighton are no fluke
This was not smash-and-grab luck. Sky Sports noted that Brighton have now won five of their last six league games, keeping a clean sheet in every one of those victories, and they have more Premier League clean sheets (six) than anyone else this season. They sit third, two points behind City and Arsenal, with their highest points tally at this stage of any top-flight season in the club’s history.
Hürzeler’s message afterwards was simple: defence wins tight games. Given that Brighton were the only side to beat Arsenal in the league so far this season, a 3-0 win on the south coast, they can no longer be dismissed as a pleasant early-season story.
Maresca feeling the heat?
City are a different matter. This was their second straight league defeat after last weekend’s loss at Aston Villa, and Sky Sports reported that City had not lost consecutive Premier League games since August 2025. Maresca conceded his side were giving away “silly goals” that could be avoided.
It is far too early to talk about Maresca’s job in the way Manchester United’s Michael Carrick or Crystal Palace’s Pierre Sage are being discussed. City are still top for now, and they have won two of their three Champions League games. But the debate over Donnarumma, the errors at the back and the lack of a cutting edge against a deep block will not go away quietly, especially with RB Leipzig away on Wednesday.
What happens next
All eyes now turn to Anfield. Liverpool host Arsenal this afternoon, Sunday 1 November, with a 4.30pm kick-off. Mikel Arteta’s side, on 21 points from eight games before the weekend, would move above City with a win. History is against them: Arsenal have not won a Premier League game at Anfield since September 2012, and Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 13 home league meetings with the Gunners, according to Sports Illustrated’s preview.
Arsenal are without Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and the suspended Max Dowman, while Liverpool’s injury list includes Northern Ireland defender Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong. Andoni Iraola has said Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Muñoz have a chance of making the squad.
The weekend closes on Monday night with Newcastle v Everton at St James’ Park (8pm). Then it is Champions League week: City travel to Leipzig on Wednesday 4 November (8pm Irish time), while Brighton return to league action next Sunday at home to Keith Andrews’ Brentford.
If Arsenal slip up at Anfield, the Premier League table heading into November could have one of the strangest-looking top threes in years.
Sources
- Sky Sports: Man City 0-1 Brighton match report (31 October 2026)
- Football Today via Yahoo Sports: Brighton stun Man City at Etihad as Arsenal handed chance to go top (31 October 2026)
- NBC Sports: Arsenal visit Liverpool this Sunday (October 2026)
- Sports Illustrated: Liverpool vs Arsenal preview (31 October/1 November 2026)
- Last Word on Sports: Premier League GW9 picks (1 November 2026)
- UEFA: 2026/27 Champions League league phase fixtures and results (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Sky Sports: Champions League fixtures (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Brentford FC: Brentford 2 Nottingham Forest 0 (31 October 2026)
Featured image: Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City – geograph.org.uk – 3857086 by Chris Morgan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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