Dias rallies Man City dressing room after Brighton end Etihad winning run

Ruben Dias called on Manchester City to stand united after Brighton claimed a 1-0 Premier League victory at the Etihad on Saturday, with Yasin Ayari’s early strike and a commanding display from goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen enough to hand the Seagulls the three points.

City created a string of chances but were repeatedly denied by Verbruggen, who was in inspired form to protect Brighton’s lead and avenge their Carabao Cup defeat to City earlier in the week. Despite sustained pressure from the hosts, Pep Guardiola’s side could not find an equaliser.

Elliot Anderson was among City’s more prominent performers and reflected candidly on the result at full-time. “We created loads of chances. Obviously we conceded the goal which was a tough one to take, but we had so many chances and on another day we put those away and we win the game,” he said.

Anderson acknowledged the difficulty of falling behind early at home. “It’s always difficult conceding early. It’s not what you want at home and we just didn’t manage to get that first goal even though we had so many chances.”

Despite the frustration, Anderson was keen to highlight the team’s attitude throughout. “It wasn’t for a lack of fighting or commitment; we gave everything. We were on top for large periods of the game and it looked very promising but it just didn’t come.”

It was Dias’s post-match message inside the dressing room that Anderson chose to single out. “Ruben just said in there that we win together and we lose together and he’s absolutely right. We’ve got to improve together as well and we’ll look to do that over the next few days and bounce back in the Champions League.”