Sussex

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Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi speaking to Sky Sports: "City are one of the best teams in the world and they played very well.

"Sorry for the first two goals. The first two goals were unlucky."

Can playing out from the back be a risk? "Yes, sometimes we took the advantage [with playing this way]. For sure if you make mistakes you can concede goals.

"You have to analyse how many goals we score and points we made playing the ball, then the advantages [outweigh] what we concede."

• Manchester City are now unbeaten in 30 games in all competitions (W24 D6), making them the third English top-flight side to go 30+ matches without defeat, after Nottingham Forest (40 in 1978) and Manchester United (twice - 34 in 1993-94 & 33 in 1998-99).

• Phil Foden scored his 50th (and 51st) Premier League goal, becoming only the third player to score 50 top-flight goals under manager Pep Guardiola while aged 23 or younger - after Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.

• Brighton have won just six of their last 27 Premier League games (D11 L10) – since the start of this spell in September - only Burnley (5), Nottingham Forest (5), and Sheffield United (3) have won fewer.

• Brighton have lost back-to-back Premier League home games, as many as their previous 22 at the Amex Stadium beforehand (W12 D8 L2). The Seagulls have lost successive league home games while also failing to score each time for the first time since a run of four from February-March 2022.

• Kevin De Bruyne's opener for Manchester City was his 68th goal in 255 Premier League appearances – but the very first time he scored a header in the competition.

• In his 390th Premier League appearance, Manchester City’s Kyle Walker provided two assists in the same game for the first time in the competition.

Manchester City moved to within one point of Premier League leaders Arsenal by thrashing Brighton 4-0 at Amex Stadium.

The visitors took the lead through Kevin de Bruyne's excellent diving header in the 17th minute.

Phil Foden scored a second from a free-kick before doubling his tally, capitalising on defensive errors to give City a 3-0 half-time lead.

Julian Alvarez completed City's scoring midway through the second half after fine work from full-back Kyle Walker.

The result means City leapfrog Liverpool to go second in the league table, having played one game fewer than the Reds and leaders Arsenal.

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The team news for the Premier League game between Brighton and Manchester City is in, with less than an hour to go until kick-off at Amex Stadium.

Follow all the build-up and live text updates of the match here

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Former Brighton midfielder Gary Dicker has been praising Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi and "the energy he brings" to the club.

Speaking about De Zerbi on BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, Dicker, who is currently working for the club as a professional development coach with the Seagulls' under-21s side said: "You wouldn't be the brightest if you didn't take some stuff from people and we've learned loads. I'm greedy because you want more and more.

"You want to learn more and see how he can keep developing the team and the players and the style of play. The detail that he's come with and his ideas are better than any coaching course I've been on.

"I've learned that being on the grass and watching means I've tried to take in as much as I can. When we get a chance, can we watch training> You'll always see us out there when we're not training to watch and learn."

Youngster Mark O'Mahony made his debut for Albion in the 1-1 draw with Burnley and Dicker described it as a "massive win for us as an academy and for Mark".

"I remember when he came in on trial last year," Dicker continued. "He was really raw and after day one we had a look at him and thought 'oh yeah we like that.'

"He was rough around the edges which he still is, but with his attitude and him being a finisher, we could see glimpses of stuff that we wanted to work with.

"We always go back to it - the attitude and wanting to get better every day.

"He's desperate to get better and desperate to learn. When you're coachable and have the attitude like that, it makes our life really easy."

Listen to the whole episode here

Brighton head coach Roberto de Zerbi has been speaking to the media before his side face Manchester City in the Premier League on Thursday.

Here are the main headlines from his news conference:

• "The situation is more or less the same as last game," De Zerbi explained in terms of injuries. Adam Webster may be available again - but nine players are out with Pervis Estupinan and Evan Ferguson missing for the rest of the season.

• On City being tired: "I think no, they played Saturday against Chelsea and tomorrow is Thursday. They are used to playing so many games. They were unlucky against Real Madrid because they lost on penalties. But they are with Arsenal and Liverpool one of the best teams in the Premier League."

• Erling Haaland is out of the game and he said: "Great news, because Haaland is a top player. Unfortunately they will play with [Julian] Alvarez - still a big player, Bernardo [Silva] a big player. [Jeremy] Doku and [Jack] Grealish, big wingers."

• On Brighton's season: "It has been very tough especially after January. We are suffering too many injuries. It's not finished yet - I'm sorry because I'm disappointed because I wanted to compete in different ways, but we have to accept. Next season we will be with more experience."

• On if they can qualify for Europe: "It's difficult because we play against big teams in the Premier League. We have a lot of teams with eyes on the top of the table. We have to play better for sure, we have to be stronger in the last 20 metres and to give our best more. We can't do more than that."

• On the Amex at night: "I love playing in the night because there is a different atmosphere. I think our fans have been fantastic every game at the Amex and away. If we start the game with good attitude and right behaviour the fans can understand and support more."

• He had lots of praise for Pep Guardiola: "He's patient, he's great, he loves football but if you speak about tactical parts he's a different coach and different man. There are a lot of coaches and there is Pep - different things."

• De Zerbi referenced to how Thiago Motta and Xabi Alonso are innovating in the game but pointed back to Guardiola, stating: "The first one who changed football was Guardiola, in Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Every season he makes something different."

• Both times Manchester City have failed to beat Brighton in the Premier League have come in a midweek game at Amex Stadium – they lost 3-2 in May 2021 and drew 1-1 in May 2023, though had already been confirmed as champions both times.

• Since beating Sheffield United 5-0 in February, Brighton have scored just four goals in their past seven Premier League games. The Seagulls are also winless in their past four (D2 L2).

• City are unbeaten in their past 17 Premier League games (W13 D4), last having a longer run within the same season between November and March in 2020-21 (19).

• Brighton’s 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in their most recent Premier League home game ended a 12-match unbeaten run at the Amex in the competition. They last lost consecutive home league games in November/December 2022 (including defeat to Arsenal), while they last lost consecutive home league games in the same month in March 2022.

• City's Phil Foden has scored more Premier League goals against Albion than he has against any other side, netting six in his past seven. His next goal will be his 50th in the Premier League.