Man City 0 Albion 1: Ayari seals first win at the Etihad for brilliant Brighton

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Swedish midfielder's third goal of the season decisive as Albion claim another statement win.

Bruce Talbot

2026-10-31T17:00+00:00

Yasin Ayari celebrates after scoring his third goal of the season to put Albion ahead at the Etihad. 📷Paul Hazlewood.

Albion won at the Etihad for the first time in the club’s history thanks to a goal from Yasin Ayari and a fantastic team performance.

The Sweden midfielder scored his third of the season after just 11 minutes and although the leaders pushed and pushed the visitors, with Lewis Dunk and Bart Verbruggen outstanding, held firm.

Chema puts Ayyoub Bouaddi under pressure. 📷Paul Hazlewood

Verbruggen made two great saves in the second half and twice Dunk threw himself in front of Erling Haaland goalbound shots but as a team Albion worked like trojans all over the pitch to deny City space and the opportunity to get in behind.

Four days after the agony of losing to City on penalties in the Carabao Cup Albion had sweet revenge and for 3044 travelling fans who celebrated long and loud at the end it was an ‘I was there’ moment.

A game between the league’s two top scorers promised goals and it took Albion just ten minutes to go in front.

Lewis Dunk congratulates Yasin Ayari after his early goal. 📷Paul Hazlewood

And what a goal it was. Dunk’s long diagonal to the right found Diego Gomez in space and he was able to measure his ball across the face of goal. It found Maxim De Cuyper at the far post and he was able to tee up Ayari for an easy finish from six yards.

City stirred and Iliman Ndiaye should have equalised on 21 minutes but directed a free header from Elliot Anderson’s cross wide. Ndiaye got in again, this time on the right, but fired straight at Verbruggen.

Can I have a word? Luka Vuskovic and Lewis Dunk discuss free-kick options. 📷Paul Hazlewood

Dunk did superbly on two occasions to block Haaland’s left-foot shots as City pressed but Albion defended diligently in the first half to restrict the supply line to City’s main threat.

Albion were still a threat themselves and after what happened on Wednesday it was important to get to the break with their lead intact.

Three minutes after the interval they should have doubled it. Ayari bent his run to beat the offside trap and take Gomez’s pass in his stride. He spotted De Cuyper unmarked on the far side and found him but the Belgian, who might not have realised just how much time he had, elected to strike first time and the ball flew over.

Fabian Hurzeler and City boss Enzo Mareska laid a wreath before kick-off as part of the remembrance commemorations. 📷Paul Hazlewood.

Back came City and Bart Verbruggen made a brilliant save, flinging himself to his left to keep out an effort from Ndiaye heading for the top corner.

It had turned into a really open game. De Cuyper met Pascal Gross’s header and forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a diving save.

Albion worked tirelessly to protect their lead and Luka Vuskovic cleverly cut out a cross with Haaland waiting to pounce by guiding it into Verbruggen’s gloves.

The Albion keeper was in top form, getting down to his right to keep out Matheus Nunes’ strike but it was all hands to the pump at that stage and Fabian Hurzeler reacted with four changes in the space of seven minutes.

Ndiaye wasted another chance when he was found by Nico O’Reilly’s cross but side-footed over at the far post but with two minutes to go Albion were inches away from a second. Georginio did brilliantly to hold off two defenders and find Jack Hinshelwood, who lifted the ball over Donnarumma but into the side netting.

There was one last corner deep into stoppage time before Albion could celebrate a win for the ages.

Albion: Verbruggen, De Cuyper (Yalcouye 72), Costinha, Vuskovic, Dunk, Boscagli (Hadjam 65), Ayari, Gross, Chema (Wieffer 65), Gomez (Rutter 84), Kostoulas (Hinshelwood 72).