Brighton stun City as Aston Villa stumble in eventful EPL weekend

LONDON, Nov 1: A compelling weekend of Premier League football delivered shockwaves across the division as Brighton & Hove Albion pulled off a stunning 1-0 upset against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, while Aston Villa stumbled at home to Fulham, and in-form Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur sustained their winning momentum.
At the Etihad, Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton produced a tactical masterclass to shock the reigning champions just three days after falling to Pep Guardiola’s side on penalties in the Carabao Cup fourth round. Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen emerged as the undisputed hero of the afternoon, registering seven vital saves to preserve a clean sheet—Brighton’s fifth in six league outings.
Verbruggen’s standout moment came in the second half when he reacted with cat-like reflexes, diving sharply to his right to turn away a thunderous drive from Matheus Nunes.
Brighton’s resolute rearguard action made them the first visiting side to keep a Premier League clean sheet at the Etihad since Tottenham achieved the feat in August 2025.
Hürzeler lauded his keeper’s composure, noting that belief and defensive rigor were the catalysts needed to topple one of world football’s most formidable attacks. Meanwhile, at Villa Park, Aston Villa missed the chance to consolidate their top-four credentials, held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Fulham following a calamitous goalkeeping blunder.
Villa initially appeared in control. After John McGinn rattled the crossbar from the penalty spot—awarded via VAR after Sander Berge handled Leon Goretzka’s header—Nicolas Jackson broke the deadlock in the 39th minute. Latching onto Johan Manzambi’s delivery, the in-form forward danced past challenges from David Affengruber and Timothy Castagne before slotting beyond Bernd Leno.
The strike marked Jackson’s sixth goal across all competitions in October, topping the scoring charts across the league for the month. However, Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki—who had earlier produced sharp stops against Oscar Bobb and Gonzalo Garcia—endured a nightmare moment midway through the second half. Misjudging an inswinging corner from Fulham’s Alex Iwobi, the Japanese international spilled the ball over his own goal line, gifting the visitors a hard-earned point.
On the south coast, Bournemouth extended their remarkable run of form, cruising to a 2-0 victory over Leeds United at the Vitality Stadium. The result marked the Cherries’ sixth consecutive victory across all competitions without conceding a single goal.Brazilian talisman Evanilson maintained his red-hot streak, scoring for the fourth straight Premier League fixture to bring his season tally to five. The breakthrough arrived 14 minutes before the interval when Leeds keeper James Trafford misdirected a pass intended for Ao Tanaka. Justin Kluivert pounced on the loose ball, teeing up Evanilson for a simple finish. Leeds had earlier seen a Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal chalked off by VAR for handball. Substitute Amine Adli settled the affair in the 94th minute, turning home Junior Kroupi’s layoff to leave Leeds winless in five.
In west London, Brentford snapped a five-game winless slump with an authoritative 2-0 win over struggling Nottingham Forest to climb to sixth. An own goal from Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic in the 30th minute broke the deadlock after Dango Ouattara whipped in a testing cross. Igor Thiago made the points safe in the 76th minute, finishing off a sharp counter initiated by Jaidon Anthony to leave Forest languishing in 19th.
Tottenham Hotspur also kept up their pursuit of the European spots, cruising to a 2-0 derby win over 10-man Crystal Palace to pile the pressure on manager Pierre Sage. Palace were compromised inside 13 minutes when Jean-Philippe Mateta received a straight red card following a VAR review for a high tackle on Micky van de Ven.
Spurs took swift advantage as Archie Gray rose unmarked to head home Mohammed Kudus’ corner in the 25th minute. Jan Paul van Hecke secured the victory in the 73rd minute, nodding in after Dean Henderson tipped his initial effort onto the crossbar. The win represents Roberto De Zerbi’s third straight league triumph with Spurs.
Further north, Julio Enciso struck a breathtaking 20-yard, left-footed screamer in the 76th minute to rescue a 2-2 draw for Ipswich Town against Hull City at the MKM Stadium.
The weekend also underscored the grit of newly promoted clubs Coventry City, Ipswich, and Hull, who have amassed a combined 31 points through nine matches. Historically, every promoted team reaching at least 11 points by matchday nine since the 2010–11 season has retained their top-flight status, offering an optimistic omen for the survival battles ahead. (Agencies)