Manchester City player ratings from the Manchester Evening News for the Premier League defeat at home to Brighton
Elliot Anderson
Elliot Anderson
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Manchester City suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats after being beaten at home to Brighton. The Seagulls earned revenge for their Carabao Cup defeat at the Etihad in midweek as they held on for a 1-0 victory.
Yasin Ayari gave the visitors the lead early in the first half after a needless error from Matheus Nunes at the back allowed the ball to pop up for him in the box. Iliman Ndiaye missed City's best chance to level before the break as he headed wide from an Elliot Anderson cross.
Enzo Maresca's side dominated the game in the second half but were unable to put the ball in the net despite the introduction of Rayan Cherki and three other substitutes. City remain top of the table for now but Arsenal can overtake them with a point or better at Anfield on Sunday.
Here are the player ratings from the Manchester Evening News.
Donnarumma: Some really poor passes out that put his teammates under needless pressure and invited Brighton on. 4
Nunes: A terrible error for the Brighton goal, although he made some good attacking runs in the second half. 5
Khusanov: His play at the back wasn't always great but his pace was useful for bringing City out of pressure. 6
Dias: Easily the most composed of the defence, dealing with everything that came his way. 7
Gvardiol: Played like his midweek rest had made him forget what he was supposed to be doing. 4
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Anderson: Looked like he was on another level to everyone else on the pitch, terrific in and out of possession. 8
Bouaddi: Some good moments but too much jumping around the pitch that made him look out of position. 6
Fernandez: Probably his worst game in a City shirt, nothing he tried came off and it broke down several promising opportunities. 5
Ndiaye: Missed one really good chance, one good one, and went close with another. Decent but not enough. 6
Doku: Incredibly dangerous until it came to the final pass or shot, which let him and the team down repeatedly. 5
Haaland: A few half-chances but couldn't get involved as his scoring streak came to an end. 5
Substitutes
Cherki (for Bouaddi, 55) Changed the game when he came on but his impact waned. 7
O'Reilly (for Fernandez, 64) Solid in both midfield and then at left-back. 6
Foden (for Gvardiol, 79) Decent deliveries in the final third. 6
Allan (for Ndiaye, 79) Got stuck in straight away. 6
Not used: Rulli, Reis, Guehi, Lewis, Kovacic