Sachin Nakrani was at the Amex this evening. His report has landed ... and here it is! Clickity click! Thanks for reading this MBM.

Pep’s turn. “It was really good. We know exactly which team we faced. It was a good lesson for half an hour in the second half, they were better than us. We suffer. It was a huge victory for us. We win the game because we have good players. They have all the mechanisms of the big teams, they have courage and I admire that. They play like top four, top five.”

Graham Potter speaks to Sky. “We were fantastic in the second half. So proud of the players. They were together, they had spirit, they had quality. We are of course disappointed to lose, we have to say Manchester City were better, but our performance was something to be proud of. We gave a cheap goal away, and we suffered a bit first half, their quality was fantastic and all of a sudden the scoreline was not a very nice one. Credit to the players, who responded, and didn’t feel sorry for themselves. We’ll take a lot forward from that game.”

A lovely touch by the City squad today, incidentally, the team warming up in t-shirts emblazoned with the words “We’re with you, Guido”, in support of Belgian Manchester City fan Guido De Pauw, who was attacked after City’s win in Bruges during the week. Phil Foden sports it for his post-match interview as well. “We’re all here for him, and that’s why we wore the shirt today, to show our respect. We’re all fighting for him.”

Manchester City move into second spot, two points behind Chelsea, leapfrogging Liverpool who play Manchester United tomorrow afternoon. Brighton remain in fourth for now, though any one of Spurs, United, West Ham and Brentford can go above them with a good result tomorrow. That was a throughly deserved victory for City, who were outstanding in the first half, blowing Brighton away. But Brighton can be proud of their second-half performance, as they asked plenty of questions of City’s miserly defence, a fine response to being totally outplayed during the first 45. Everyone will be happy in their own way.

Manchester City respond to Chelsea’s seven-goal evisceration of Norwich with a masterclass of their own.

No hat-trick for Foden, but it’s another assist. Brighton faff around at the back and are stripped by Fernandinho. The ball’s fed to Foden to the left of the D. Foden unselfishly slips right to Mahrez, on the penalty spot. Mahrez whips into the top right, and City restore their three-goal advantage, right at the death.

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90 min +4: Cancelo drives down the left, sashays infield, and whistles a long-distance drive down Sanchez’s throat.

90 min +3: Mahrez kills a high ball down the right with absurd ease. Stone dead. Audible gasps from the City end, who had been running through their champions songbook.

90 min +2: Sky Sports co-commentator Alan Smith gives two-goal Phil Foden the man-of-the-match award.

90 min: There will be five added minutes. Plenty of time for Brighton to get the two goals they need. The only problem being, City won’t give them the chance. They’re running the clock down with a fine display of keep-ball.

89 min: Foden wants his hat-trick, though, and dances his way down the inside-left channel before breaking into the box, only to be denied by Sanchez, throwing starfish shapes.

88 min: Silva and De Bruyne combine down the inside-right channel, the latter entering the box and looking for Mahrez in the middle. Cucurella gets in the way. Brighton deserve to win this second half, and take something positive from their match with the champions after a hellish first 45.

87 min: Jesus is replaced by Mahrez.

86 min: Lamptey is so much fun to watch. He makes his way into the City box with another showcase of intricate skill, teasing the City defence before lashing a shot wide right. Real off-the-seat entertainment. Brighton have missed him.

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84 min: Dias, slightly spooked by the concession of a goal, shoves March to the floor out on the left. Mac Allister, full of vim after his penalty, overcooks the resulting free kick. Ederson takes an age over the goal kick, and is booked for his trouble.

82 min: That’s just the fourth goal conceded by City in the league this season. “Brighton in their second half process, their combined intent and attacking substitutions shows a club with wonderful collective purpose,” writes Jeremy Dresner. “Three down at half time: damage limitation or go for it? Entertain? Regain pride? Only one answer: bravo Potter. Brighton do it right - deserve that pen and goal.”

After an interminable VAR check, the decision stands. Mac Allister takes the penalty, whipping it into the top right. Ederson gets a hand on it, but not enough. No more than Brighton deserve for their second-half performance.

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79 min: Trossard slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Mwepu. The ball’s sliding out of play, but across comes Ederson, who recklessly clatters into the striker. Mwepu needs no encouragement to go over, and that’s what he does, purchasing a cheap spot kick from Ederson’s daft intervention.

77 min: A long pass down the left for Grealish, who for a second looks like breaking clear on goal. But Veltman isn’t having any of it, and crashes (fairly) into his man just as he shapes to shoot. Corner. It’s Grealish’s last act of the evening, as he’s replaced by De Bruyne. The corner comes to nothing.

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75 min: Fernandinho comes on for Gundogan. Ederson then hoicks a goal kick straight out of play on the full, much to the crowd’s amusement. It’s the little things sometimes.

73 min: Mac Allister comes on for Gross.

72 min: Lamptey asks too much of March down the right with an overhit pass ... but March races at full pelt then sensationally slides across the turf, hooks the ball on the byline, and plays it off Laporte in one smooth movement. Corner. Nothing comes of it, but there’s how to chase a lost cause.

70 min: Lallana is booked for hanging out a leg across Gundogan. Or maybe arguing the toss at the award of a foul. Either way, in the book he goes.

69 min: City are unable to get out of their final third, so Walker is forced to purchase a cheap free kick, falling under very little influence from Trossard, then taking his sweet time to get back up. Street-fighting smarts from the City right back, recognising the need to calm things down, and a real show of respect to Brighton.

67 min: This is so much better from Brighton, who may not have any material reward for their second-half performance, but have their dignity back. They’ve played some very nice stuff.

65 min: The corner leads to some head tennis. Then an outstanding showcase of Lamptey’s skill, as he twists Grealish’s blood out on the right wing. Just exquisite! Proper old-school jinking. He reaches the byline, having wriggled out of a tight spot and left his man for dead. His cross leads to a corner, which is eventually dealt with by City, but you’ll surely see that outrageous Lamptey sequence again.

64 min: Moder dribbles adroitly into the box from the left, beating a couple of City challenges before shooting low. The ball’s deflected out for a corner on the left.

63 min: Moder is booked for a late tug on Rodri.

62 min: Corner leads to corner, which leads to nothing. Ederson was really fortunate with that Trossard shot, the ball squeezing under his body and looping across the face of goal, sailing out inches high and wide.

61 min: Moder and Trossard combine crisply down the inside-left channel. Trossard breaks into the box and shoots low and hard, across Ederson. The keeper isn’t totally convincing, but does enough to deflect the shot over the bar and wide right. Corner.

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60 min: Cancelo clatters into Lamptey, who was busy trapping a high ball, sending him crashing to the floor. It’s a clear yellow. Into the book he goes.

58 min: The hosts make a double change. Lamptey and Mwepu come on for Burn and Maupay. Trossard then has a whack from distance, but it’s an easy gather for Ederson.

57 min: Lallana, Moder and March work well down the left, carving out some space. March’s eventual low cross flies behind Maupay. Brighton are at least asking some questions now.

55 min: Trossard crosses from the left. Gross traps and spins at the far post, ten yards out, and slams a shot straight at Ederson, who gathers at the second attempt. Had Maupay been paying proper attention, he might have got to the loose ball. Much better from Brighton.

54 min: Cucurella and Trossard busy themselves down the left, and nearly open City up, but Jesus, of all people, makes a nuisance of himself and puts a stop to their gallop.

53 min: Nothing comes of the set piece.

52 min: City ping it around metronomically. Foden then swishes in from the left. Jesus prepares to wind his neck back for a goalscoring header, only for Burn to guide it out of play with a spectacular diving header of his own.

50 min: Foden slips a pass wide right for Jesus, who dribbles into the box and is tapped from behind by Cucurella. City want a penalty, but Cucurealla played hard but fair, easing his man off the ball and hooking clear.

49 min: Grealish causes more bother down the left. Cancelo helps. He flicks into the area for Foden, who spins and sends a shot wide left. He wants that hat-trick!

47 min: The corner is a non-event. Grealish then thinks about coming down the left again, but is clattered by Veltman. He looks distinctly unimpressed. The referee stops short of a booking; just a lecture this time.

46 min: Grealish probes down the left. He cuts back for Cancelo, whose low drive is deflected wide right of the goal. Corner.

Brighton get the second half underway. No changes.

Half-time reading. Oh Rafa.

This is fourth versus third, remember. City have been a class above.

45 min: Burn’s loose pass infield allows Gundogan to romp forward. He feeds Foden, on a hat-trick to his right. Foden takes a touch and aims a curler for the top left. Sanchez saves.

43 min: Rodri’s loose touch gifts the ball to March, who momentarily looks like bearing down on goal. But he faffs around, and is forced to turn tail. Brighton retain possession, though, and March tries to make up for it by sending a rising drive towards the top right. Ederson claims, but only after a weak parry spins over his head and nearly drops into the net. That would have given Brighton a glimmer of hope going into the break.

42 min: Cucurella, Brighton’s saving grace, wins a corner off Silva down the left. March whips it through a crowded box. Not sure how it evades everyone, but there it goes, out the other side of the box.

40 min: Brighton with more of the intricate passing out from the back under intense City pressure. Sanchez gets involved and larrups one into the stand. Safety first now.