Manchester City suffered a second successive Premier League defeat on Saturday as Brighton won 1-0 at the Etihad, leaving manager Enzo Maresca frustrated once again.
According to Free Malaysia Today, the only goal came in the 11th minute through Yasin Ayari, who capitalised after City right-back Matheus Nunes failed to clear the ball properly.
City, who began the weekend at the top of the table, spent much of the match chasing an equaliser but were unable to break down a resolute Brighton side. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was outstanding for the visitors.
The result follows a 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa a week earlier, which brought City's flawless start to the league season to an end. Maresca said the mood after this loss mirrored the one after the Villa match, arguing that his team had produced enough chances to earn points but had not taken them. He pointed out that City remain second in the division for goals scored, but identified defensive lapses as the problem. "We are conceding silly goals and we can avoid that," he said.
For Brighton, the win was their first away from home against City, and it came only days after Maresca's side knocked them out of the League Cup on penalties at the same ground on Wednesday. The Seagulls have now beaten both City and reigning champions Arsenal in the league this season and sit two points off the top.
Brighton have never lifted a major trophy, and their 33-year-old German head coach Fabian Hurzeler played down any talk of a title push. He said the squad would review the match before turning attention to a Conference League fixture against Getafe, stressing that they take things one game at a time.
City's slip opens the door for Arsenal, who will move to the summit if they avoid defeat at Liverpool on Sunday.
The 10-time English champions also face a wider threat off the pitch. The club have been found guilty of more than 100 charges of breaching Premier League financial rules and have lodged an appeal. Should the verdict stand, City are likely to receive a heavy points deduction and could be relegated from the top flight.