Manchester City’s miserable week got worse on Saturday as they fell to a second successive Premier League defeat, beaten 1-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium. Now a leading voice in English refereeing says Enzo Maresca’s side were denied a clear-cut penalty in the process.
Yasin Ayari settled the contest inside 11 minutes, pouncing after a low cross clipped Matheus Nunes and deflected off Maxim De Cuyper’s shin, leaving the midfielder with a simple finish from close range.
It proved enough to condemn City to back-to-back league losses following their earlier defeat by Aston Villa, and lifted Brighton to within two points of the Premier League summit.
But it was an incident just before half-time that has dominated the inquest. The ball broke inside Brighton’s box and was headed by Diego Gomez straight onto the raised arm of Brighton centre-back Luka Vuskovic.
City’s players surrounded referee Craig Pawson in protest, but the official waved play on, and VAR official John Brooks cleared the incident without recommending a review.
Former PGMOL and FIFA referee Keith Hackett believes that was the wrong call. Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, he said the Croatian defender had every opportunity to avoid the handball.
“Wow,” Hackett told Football Insider after reviewing the footage. “The player has enough time available to withdraw his outstretched arm that is clearly making his body shape bigger.
“That is a deliberate handball and should have resulted in a penalty kick.”
It was not the only shout City had waved away. Jeremy Doku also drove into the Brighton box earlier in the game only for a separate handball appeal to be dismissed, with Pawson again unmoved despite a brief VAR check.
In total, City had at least three penalty appeals for handball turned down over the course of a frustrating afternoon, continuing a theme that has followed Maresca’s side through recent weeks.
A frustrating afternoon in front of goal
Beyond the refereeing controversy, City’s finishing will also come under scrutiny. The hosts dominated the ball for long periods and finished the match with 21 shots. That was their highest total without scoring in a home Premier League fixture since November 2024.
The Dutch goalkeeper produced seven saves and denied City what statistics suggest was 1.74 expected goals, standing firm as Erling Haaland and others searched in vain for an equaliser.
The result continues a remarkable run for Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton, who climbed to third in the table and recorded their first victory over City in 18 attempts across all competitions. That included a League Cup defeat on penalties to City only last Thursday, a result Hürzeler had felt aggrieved by after his side twice led at the Etihad.
For Maresca, the defeat represents an unwelcome dent in what had otherwise been an encouraging start to his time in charge, with City having sat top of the table before kick-off.
Saturday’s missed penalty claim will do little to ease the frustration inside the City camp, particularly as the manager’s post-match focus is centre on his side’s profligacy in front of goal rather than on any refereeing grievance.
