Manchester City suffered a second successive Premier League defeat as Yasin Ayari’s early goal gave Brighton a 1–0 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The ninth-round fixture was settled in the 11th minute, when a costly mistake by Matheus Nunes presented Ayari with an opportunity. The Swedish midfielder took it, leaving City with a deficit they could not overturn despite having most of the match to respond.

The result followed City’s 2–1 defeat by Aston Villa the previous week. After a successful start to the season, they have now taken no points from two consecutive league matches.

Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki were left out of the starting line-up. Cherki was subsequently introduced from the bench in an attempt to give City more creativity in attack, but the change did not produce an equaliser.

For Brighton, Ayari’s early intervention proved sufficient to secure an away win. For City, the frustration lay not only in the mistake that conceded the lead, but in their inability to find a way back into the match in front of their own supporters.