Ayari left alone six yards out
Seven wins from seven. That was Manchester City’s start to the Premier League season, and it now looks a long way back. Brighton won 1-0 at the Etihad on Saturday, City’s second league defeat in a row after last weekend’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.
The decisive moment came in the 11th minute. Maxim De Cuyper whipped a low cross in from the left and Yasin Ayari arrived unmarked six yards out to finish. City, as RMC Sport describes it, were struck early by Fabian Hürzeler’s side and could not recover.
Enzo Maresca’s team had already lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on 14 October. Add the Villa and Brighton results and the early-season aura around the league leaders has thinned quickly.
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A tight table, and Anfield next
City stay top on 21 points, but only just. Arsenal are second on the same total and visit Liverpool on Sunday. RMC Sport reports that Arsenal take over at the summit if they avoid defeat at Anfield.
Brighton have 19 points and sit third, two behind City. Chelsea are fourth on 16 after their 2-0 win over Manchester United earlier in the day, so the gap between the Seagulls and the chasing pack is already three points.
For City, two defeats in a week have turned a comfortable lead into a shared one. For Brighton, third place after nine rounds is a platform, and a win at the Etihad is hard to wave away.
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