Man City vs Brighton player ratings: Verbruggen and Dunk star in away win

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Bart Verbruggen and Lewis Dunk lead our Man City vs Brighton player ratings after the visitors protected Yasin Ayari’s early goal to win 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Brighton’s goalkeeper made the important saves, while Dunk combined decisive defending with a contribution to the move that produced the winner. Iliman Ndiaye offered City their most persistent threat, but Erling Haaland endured a frustrating afternoon.

See our confirmed line-ups for the original selections. Manchester City’s official report records the key incidents.

All marks are out of 10. NR means not rated.

Manchester City player ratings

Gianluigi Donnarumma — 6: Little opportunity to prevent Ayari’s close-range finish. Brighton’s next clear opening ended with De Cuyper shooting over, rather than testing him.

Matheus Nunes — 4: Missed the low delivery in the move that brought Brighton’s goal. Had a chance to make amends, but Verbruggen denied him.

Abdukodir Khusanov — 6: Came close to rescuing a point with a late effort that Verbruggen saved. His willingness to step forward gave City another option.

Rúben Dias — 6: City’s defending improved after the early concession, but the captain could not turn that greater control into a platform for victory.

Joško Gvardiol — 5: Part of a defence caught out by Brighton’s decisive attack. Unable to provide the additional attacking influence City needed before being replaced.

Ayyoub Bouaddi — 5: Found it difficult to turn City’s possession into openings against Brighton’s organised midfield. Replaced by Cherki as Maresca sought more creativity.

Elliot Anderson — 6: Supplied the cross Ndiaye headed narrowly wide and had an effort blocked by Dunk. Some useful contributions without a decisive breakthrough.

Enzo Fernández — 5: Failed to hit the target when an opening arrived after Cherki’s introduction. City needed greater precision from him around the penalty area.

Iliman Ndiaye — 7: City’s strongest attacking performer. Went close with a header and repeatedly asked questions of Verbruggen, including an effort tipped against the woodwork.

Jérémy Doku — 5: Costinha largely contained his threat. City needed him to turn possession out wide into clear opportunities, but the breakthrough never came.

Erling Haaland — 4: Brighton restricted his service and crowded the spaces he wanted to attack. Dunk blocked one effort during an unusually ineffective afternoon.

Manchester City substitutes

Rayan Cherki — 6: Added invention after coming on, although his own shooting opportunity ended in the side-netting. Made City more threatening without unlocking Brighton.

Nico O’Reilly — 6: Offered a different presence in the penalty area. His late header from the rebound of Khusanov’s effort went narrowly wide.

Phil Foden — NR: Introduced late, with insufficient time to make a sustained impact.

Allan — NR: Another late addition who could not alter the result.

Brighton player ratings

Bart Verbruggen — 9: Delivered when Brighton needed him, denying Ndiaye, Nunes and Khusanov. His handling of the decisive moments made the narrow lead stand up.

Costinha — 8: Kept Doku’s influence down and gave Brighton security against one of City’s principal attacking outlets. An important part of the clean sheet.

Luka Vušković — 8: Helped restrict Haaland and blocked a dangerous Cherki delivery. Brighton’s central defenders made City work hard for every opening.

Lewis Dunk — 9: His crossfield pass helped launch the winning move. At the other end, blocks against Anderson and Haaland demonstrated his importance to Brighton’s resistance.

Olivier Boscagli — 6: Had a more difficult assignment against Ndiaye and was less secure than Brighton’s other defenders. Replaced during the second half.

Pascal Groß — 7: Helped Brighton maintain connections through midfield during long periods without the ball. His experience mattered as the visitors protected their advantage.

Chema Andrés — 7: Worked through an early booking and contributed to Brighton’s midfield resistance before Wieffer replaced him. A useful return to the starting side.

Yasin Ayari — 8: Reacted to the loose ball to score the winner and later supplied De Cuyper with a chance to extend the lead.

Diego Gómez — 8: His low delivery created the confusion that led to Ayari’s finish. Gave Brighton a productive attacking outlet in a demanding away performance.

Maxim De Cuyper — 6: Involved in the winning goal, but wasted an excellent opportunity after half-time. A second goal would have eased Brighton’s closing stages considerably.

Charalampos Kostoulas — 6: Worked through a difficult assignment against City’s defenders. His attacking contribution was limited, but he remained involved in Brighton’s efforts to relieve pressure.

Brighton substitutes

Jaouen Hadjam — 6: Helped Brighton see out the game after replacing Boscagli.

Mats Wieffer — 7: A valuable defensive introduction as City increased the pressure. Helped protect the spaces around Brighton’s penalty area.

Malick Yalcouyé — 6: Added fresh legs for the closing stages without disrupting Brighton’s defensive shape.

Jack Hinshelwood — 6: Had an opportunity to settle the contest on the break but sent his attempted finish wide.

Georginio Rutter — 6: Made a useful contribution despite limited minutes, holding the ball up to help create Hinshelwood’s late chance.

Man City vs Brighton player ratings: player of the match

Bart Verbruggen. Dunk was an equally strong contender, but the goalkeeper’s second-half interventions were decisive. Brighton’s defensive work deserved a reward, and Verbruggen ensured they collected all three points.

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