Brighton beat Manchester City 1-0 in Manchester as Manchester United lose 2-0 at Chelsea
Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Manchester City 1-0 in Manchester and Manchester United were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea in Premier League fixtures on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Both results were part of weekend league action that also produced a series of wins and losses affecting the lower reaches of the table.
Brighton ended an 18-match wait for a first away victory at Manchester City to move into third place in the standings. The club, which has never won a major trophy, had earlier this season beaten Arsenal convincingly and arrived at the Etihad seeking revenge after losing to City on penalties in the League Cup on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side took the lead through Yasin Ayari in the 11th minute and held on despite sustained pressure after half-time, with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen making key saves. Hurzeler said: "We expected a game where we had to suffer. Coming to this place is very difficult, facing one of the best teams in the world," and added: "I’m really proud of how my players stuck together. They had a little bit of luck but, in the end, deserved it." His team had twice led at the Etihad in the League Cup tie earlier in the week.
Manchester City had begun the season with seven successive league wins under new manager Enzo Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola, but slipped to defeat on Saturday. The club is also contesting a guilty verdict on over 100 charges of breaking Premier League financial rules; City have appealed, and the source states that if the ruling is upheld they are likely to face a severe points penalty and possible relegation from the English top-flight. Maresca said: "In this moment we are conceding silly goals that we can avoid," and: "I think we did enough to deserve something but we need to move on and try to win games."
Manchester United’s 2-0 loss at Chelsea extended their winless run to nine matches, their longest without victory in 38 years. Morgan Rogers opened the scoring after running through United’s defence, then Lisandro Martinez received two yellow cards in quick succession, the second resulting in a penalty converted by Cole Palmer to move Chelsea into the top four. Michael Carrick said: "The two halves of football couldn’t probably be further apart," and added he expects to be in charge for Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Roma.
Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 2-0, taking a third consecutive win to rise to eighth, while Palace remained in the relegation zone following the defeat. Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off early for a lunge on Micky van de Ven, and Spurs scored from set-pieces as Archie Gray headed in from a corner before Jan Paul van Hecke bundled in a second after Dean Henderson initially saved. Palace manager Pierre Sage commented on the relegation threat: "It’s a disaster for every club in the Premier League," and said: "I’m not comfortable with the position but it’s a consequence of what we have done on the pitch."
Other results included Aston Villa drawing 1-1 with Fulham after goalkeeper Zion Suzuki's own goal levelled Nicolas Jackson’s opener, Nottingham Forest falling 2-0 at Brentford which left them 19th and prompted manager Oliver Glasner to vow sweeping changes, Bournemouth beating Leeds 2-0, Coventry defeating Sunderland 3-1 which left Sunderland bottom, and Hull drawing 2-2 with Ipswich.
Defeat for Manchester City means Arsenal can move to the top of the table if they avoid losing at Liverpool on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
