Brighton had never won at the Etihad Stadium before Saturday afternoon. By full time they had a Yasin Ayari goal in the 11th minute, seven saves from Bart Verbruggen, and a 1-0 result that pushed Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City to a second consecutive Premier League defeat.
Hurzeler, in his second season on the south coast, refused to join the celebrations.
“The only thing we’re focused on at the moment is that we are in a big process, a process where we go home now and analyse,” he told reporters after the game.
The German had reason to savour this one. Three days earlier Brighton had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the same ground, losing 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. On Saturday they held firm against 61% possession and 19 City shots.
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Verbruggen’s seven saves
The Netherlands goalkeeper kept Brighton in front all afternoon, denying Erling Haaland from close range and tipping away a string of chances in a second half spent largely camped on the edge of his own box. Elliot Anderson was the only home player to come out of it with credit, standing out as City’s most threatening presence on an afternoon when little else clicked for Maresca’s side.
The result lifted Brighton to third in the Premier League, two points behind Maresca’s leaders and level with Arsenal in second. Manchester City had not failed to score in a Premier League match at the Etihad in their previous 24 games there.
‘Stand up and have the belief’
Hurzeler’s message to his squad, he said, had been to move on rather than dwell on the midweek disappointment.
“I told the players you can decide how you approach the next game, stand up and have the belief,” he told reporters.
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He also reserved praise for his group’s togetherness.
“I’m really proud of how my players stuck together. They had a little bit of luck.”
Maresca, in his first season in charge at the Etihad after taking over from Pep Guardiola in the summer, had warned on Thursday that his opponents were in a “brilliant moment”, pointing to a run of goals and attacking football that he expected to carry through to the weekend.
Brighton travel to Spain next. They face Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Thursday 5 November in the UEFA Conference League league phase, with kick-off at 9pm local time.
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