Brighton beat Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad on 31 October 2026. Goal, cards, line-ups, numbers and table context.
Manchester City vs Brighton: Brighton Win 1-0
Manchester City vs Brighton finished 1-0 to the visitors on Saturday 31 October 2026, and Yasin Ayari scored the only goal in the 11th minute at the Etihad Stadium. City had 21 shots but could not find an equaliser. This report follows our Manchester City vs Brighton preview and covers the goal, cards, line-ups, numbers and the table.
- Fixture: Manchester City vs Brighton
- Date: Saturday 31 October 2026
- Kick-off: 17:00 SAST
- Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
- Result: Manchester City 0-1 Brighton
What was the final score in Manchester City vs Brighton?
Brighton won 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium, with the only goal arriving in the 11th minute. The match kicked off at 17:00 SAST on Saturday 31 October 2026, with Craig Pawson as referee, and it was round nine of the Premier League. Consequently, Brighton moved to 19 points and third in the table, while Manchester City stayed top on 21 points, a place they share on points with Arsenal, who have played one game fewer.
Who scored in Manchester City vs Brighton?
Yasin Ayari scored the only goal, and Maxim De Cuyper provided the assist. First, the goal arrived in the 11th minute, which meant City spent nearly 80 minutes chasing the match. After that, Brighton defended the lead with a series of blocks and saves. Moreover, the goalkeeper, B. Verbruggen, made seven saves in the match, as the data lists the keeper simply as B. Verbruggen.
How did the match unfold?
City had most of the ball, but Brighton had the lead. Chema Andres was booked in the 20th minute for Brighton, and De Cuyper followed in the 49th, so the visitors picked up their cautions as they defended. Meanwhile, Pascal Gross was booked in the 81st minute, which gave Brighton three yellow cards to City’s none. In addition, City’s bench included Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic, but none of the late changes produced an equaliser.
What did the match statistics show?
Manchester City had 21 shots, 6 of them on target, while Brighton managed 7 shots with 3 on target. Furthermore, the expected-goals figures read 1.68 for Manchester City and 1.02 for Brighton, which gives a sense of the chances each side created. As for the ball, Manchester City held 62% of possession and completed 518 of 611 passes. By comparison, Brighton completed 285 of 373 with 38% of the ball. Meanwhile, the corner count was 8 to 2 in favour of Manchester City, and the sides committed 9 and 13 fouls respectively. Finally, the cautions came to 0 for Manchester City and 3 for Brighton, with 0 red cards shown.
Overall, City had 21 shots to Brighton’s seven, and 19 of them came from inside the box. Even so, only six were on target, and Brighton blocked eight.
Which line-ups did the two clubs start with?
Manchester City began in a 4-3-3 shape with G. Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, A. Khusanov, Rúben Dias, J. Gvardiol, A. Bouaddi, E. Anderson, E. Fernández, I. Ndiaye, E. Haaland and J. Doku. In contrast, Brighton lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with B. Verbruggen, Costinha, L. Vušković, L. Dunk, O. Boscagli, P. Groß, José María Andrés Baixauli, D. Gómez, Y. Ayari, M. De Cuyper and C. Kostoulas. Moreover, the Manchester City bench included M. Kovačić, R. Cherki, P. Foden, Allan, G. Rulli and M. Guéhi. Likewise, Brighton had J. Hadjam, M. Wieffer, M. Svoboda, J. Hinshelwood, G. Rutter and Y. Minteh among the substitutes. Player names appear as they are listed in the official match data, so some are shown in short form.
How have Manchester City and Brighton fared against each other?
The most recent earlier meetings in the head-to-head record were as follows. First, 28 October 2026 (League Cup): Manchester City 2-2 Brighton; then 7 January 2026 (Premier League): Manchester City 1-1 Brighton; then 31 August 2025 (Premier League): Brighton 2-1 Manchester City; then 15 March 2025 (Premier League): Manchester City 2-2 Brighton; then 9 November 2024 (Premier League): Brighton 2-1 Manchester City. Overall, that gives a useful backdrop for the weekend’s result.
The Premier League meeting on 7 January 2026 ended 1-1, with Erling Haaland scoring a penalty in the 41st minute and Kaoru Mitoma replying in the 60th, according to ESPN’s report. Therefore Brighton have now won or drawn all of their last five league games against City. You can read the build-up in our Manchester City vs Brighton preview.
What does the result mean for the Premier League table?
As of Sunday 1 November 2026, the Premier League table shows the following. Manchester City are 1st on 21 points from 9 games (7 wins, 0 draws, 2 defeats, 20 goals for and 10 against). Meanwhile, Brighton are 3rd on 19 points from 9 games (6 wins, 1 draw, 2 defeats, 24 goals for and 7 against). At home, Manchester City have 4 wins, 0 draws and 1 defeat, whereas Brighton have 3 wins, 0 draws and 2 defeats on their travels.
For wider context, see our Premier League predictions hub and live scores. City’s record shows two defeats from nine, and Brighton’s goal tally of 24 is the highest of any club listed in the data.
Frequently asked questions
Who scored in Manchester City vs Brighton?
Yasin Ayari scored the only goal in the 11th minute, assisted by Maxim De Cuyper. Brighton won 1-0.
What was the score in Manchester City vs Brighton?
Brighton won 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 31 October 2026, with the goal scored in the first half.
Where are Manchester City and Brighton in the Premier League table?
As of 1 November 2026, Manchester City are first on 21 points and Brighton are third on 19 points, both from nine games.
City’s next league game, a 3-1 defeat at Forest, is covered in our Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City report.
Brighton’s next league game is at home to Brentford, which we preview in our Brighton vs Brentford preview.
City now face a European trip. Read our RB Leipzig vs Manchester City preview.
Next up for City is a trip to the City Ground, covered in our Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City preview.
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