Brighton v Manchester City LIVE: Premier League updates as Man City look to close gap on Arsenal

It’s been a calm and controlled start from the visitors, who are probing away and waiting to see where the gaps in Brighton’s approach will be.

Brighton’s keeper shows some nifty footwork to pass his way out of trouble after being pinned out wide by the City press. It was extremely risky, with the goal wide open, but it worked.

Brighton pounce in midfield and pour forward on the counter, but only Welbeck is ahead of the ball and City are able to cut off the pass to him, eventually snuffing out the break in its entirety.

De Zerbi’s Brighton enjoy playing the big teams and it is they who have the first effort on goal, transitioning quickly and forcing Ederson into a straightforward save. The hosts have had time to prepare for this game, and the early signs are that they’re extremely well prepped.

After Guardiola and De Zerbi have a lengthy chat in the tunnel, a friendly one I should add, City get the game underway on the south coast. Will this evening be a turning point in the title race? We’re about to find out.

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It’s still an outside possibility that Brighton could snatch a European place, but it would need a flawless end to the season to see them leapfrog up from 11th into those top seven spots.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side are currently six points behind seventh-placed Newcastle with this game in hand.

Liverpool remain a point above Man City in the table, but last night’s Merseyside Derby defeat feels hugely significant in the title race.

Here’s how Jurgen Klopp’s side slipped off the pace:

A 5-0 hammering of Chelsea on Tuesday saw Arsenal put the pressure back on Man City in the Premier League title race, moving four points above Guardiola’s side with a significantly better goal differential too.

The title is still in City’s hands mathematically, but Arsenal’s stunning showing suggests that the defending champs can’t afford many slip-ups, if any!

It’s been almost two weeks since Brighton last played, and that mini-break has allowed Roberto De Zerbi time for a few interesting tactical adjustments. Adam Lallana coming into the side is the most intriguing of those.

There’s also an enforced change at left-back, where Barco replaces the injured Estupinan.

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There’s no Haaland for City, while Stones and Grealish drop out of the line-up that started against Chelsea at the weekend. Kovacic and Gvardiol replace that pair, with Ederson also back between the sticks.

Brighton: Steele; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Barco; Groß, Baleba; Lallana, Moder, Pedro; Welbeck.

Man City: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Aké, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovačić; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden; Álvarez.

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Brighton versus Manchester City. Stay tuned for build-up, team news and live text commentary of this crucial encounter in the Premier League title race.