Manchester City suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion, drawing significant criticism from supporters directed at midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The loss comes shortly after City defeated the same opponents in a penalty shootout during their EFL Cup fourth-round encounter earlier in the week.
The decisive moment arrived in the 11th minute when a defensive error by Mateus Nunes allowed Maxim De Cuyper to square the ball across the box for Yasin Ayari, who tapped into an open net. Despite dominating much of the proceedings, Manchester City failed to capitalize on their 21 total shots, with only six testing the Brighton goalkeeper. Manager Enzo Maresca’s side controlled possession and completed more passes than Fabian Hürzeler’s squad, yet remained unable to break through the Seagulls’ defense. Who tapped the ball into a near-empty net, the visitors took the lead in the 11th minute after an error from Mateus Nunes allowed Maxim De Cuyper to pass the ball across the 6-yard box to Yasin Ayari. The Manchester-based side created a few chances but were not able to dispatch them. Whereas the Seagulls only had 7 shots with 3 on target, the home side had 21 total shots with 6 on target.
Fernandez struggled to make a meaningful impact throughout his 64 minutes on the pitch before being substituted.
Data from Sofascore highlights a challenging outing for the Argentine, who recorded only 39 touches and lost possession 10 times. This performance prompted an immediate backlash on social media, with fans questioning his contributions relative to the significant transfer fee paid to sign him from Chelsea during the 2026 summer window. Several supporters described the acquisition as a mistake, with some even speculating that the midfielder’s struggles could jeopardize the tenure of manager Enzo Maresca. A second fan echoed the sentiment and claimed signing the Argentine was a mistake. Some of the other reactions are as follows.
Despite the result, Manchester City temporarily holds the top spot in the Premier League table. However, their position remains precarious as second-placed Arsenal are scheduled to face Liverpool at Anfield; a victory for the Gunners would see them leapfrog City in the standings.
The squad is now preparing for a busy schedule as they look to rebound from this setback. Manchester City is set to travel to Germany for a UEFA Champions League match against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, November 4. The team currently sits 10th in the competition’s league phase table with six points from three matches. Following the European fixture, the club will return to domestic action with an away trip to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest.
