Phil Foden 9, John Stones 8; Ben White 8, Leandro Trossard 5; Manchester City v Brighton player ratings

Foden on target again as City climb to third in Premier League table

MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson 7 – Once again showed his class with the ball at his feet, through there were one or two heart-in-mouth moments when he tried something risky. Made a superb double save to deny Propper. (pictured in previous game). AFP

Joao Cancelo 6 – Started well. His passing was slick, his positional awareness better, and he looked dangerous getting forward. He saw a good effort saved by Sanchez in the second half, but was then guilty of some sloppy passing. PA

John Stones 8 – Another stellar performance from Stones, who set the tone with an early commanding header, and followed it with a goal-saving challenge from Maupay with 10 minutes left on the clock. Getty

Ruben Dias 8 – Dias has formed a sensational partnership with Stones and the duo were at their best when Brighton applied pressure in the second half. Won most of his duels and made several key interceptions. EPA

Oleksandr Zinchenko 6 – Had the first effort of the game. Was guilty of playing too high and left space behind him, which Brighton utilised. He was probably relieved when Percy Tau was substituted. AFP

Kevin De Bruyne 7 – Made his 14th assist of the season, more than any other player in all competitions, when he delivered a decisive through ball to Foden. Came close to scoring himself in the second half, but his effort was palmed away by Sanchez. AFP

Rodri 7 – Always dropped deep when City had the ball, playing almost as a second pivot. Was solid throughout, making interceptions and clearances to keep Brighton at bay. Once again, though, his passing sometimes slowed City’s progression. PA

Ilkay Gundogan 7 – Another impressive performance from Gundogan, whose runs between the lines caused Brighton several problems. Played high up the pitch and was central to everything City showed going forward. AP

Riyadh Mahrez 6 – Disappointing night for Mahrez, who was predictable and one dimensional. He did, however, have a great opportunity to score when he cut in from the right and found himself one-on-one with Sanchez, but his effort finished wide of the post. AP

Bernardo Silva 7 – Looked closer to his best than recent weeks and was effective between both boxes. Getty

Phil Foden 9 – Scored the winner when he collected a pass from De Bruyne in his stride and, after breaking into the box from the left, he slotted into Sanchez’s near post. Now City’s top scorer in all competitions, with eight. City’s best player of the night. AP

SUBS: 

Gabriel Jesus (Mahrez 67) 5 – Came on to play on the left hand side and was often found playing deep, which doesn’t appear to be his strong point. Poor cameo from the Brazilian; was guilty of giving the ball away too often. AFP

Raheem Sterling (Foden, 82) N/A – Missed his third consecutive penalty when he blazed after soon after coming on. Getty

BRIGHTON RATINGS: Robert Sanchez 7 – Stood up to De Bruyne’s effort in the first half and was called into action several times in the second. Was equal to most things thrown at him, particularly from Cancelo, and De Bruyne for a second time. Was guilty of giving away the penalty that Sterling missed, but got away with it. PA

Adam Webster 7 – Had a solid game though was beaten by Foden’s first touch from De Bruyne’s pass for the only goal of the game. Looked superb when in possession. AP

Lewis Dunk 6 – Was guilty of a mistake that lead to De Bruyne breaking through before being brought down for a penalty, but was otherwise impressive. EPA

Dan Burn 6 – A huge improvement from his last run out and did well considering he found himself up against Foden. AP

Joel Veltman 6 – Solid performance though was sometimes guilty of switching off. Was also lucky not to receive a second yellow when he brought down De Bruyne. AFP

Davy Propper 6 – Had two opportunities to score in the second half but both volleys were well saved by Ederson. He was central to most of Brighton’s attacking opportunities but was guilty of wasting possession. AFP

Ben White 8 – Strong performance from White, who played as a pivot in the middle alongside Propper. Will have done little to quieten the rumours linking him with a move away from the club. PA

Bernardo Fernandes 6 – Much improved from the midfielder who played on the left and who almost found Propper with a superb ball across the area on the hour mark. AP

Percy Tau 7 – Was surprisingly taken off having had a good debut. He looked impressive when on the ball, either by holding it up and keeping possession or playing an incisive pass. His movement was good, and he caused City problems. AP

Leandro Trossard 5 – Looked dangerous at times but his decision making let him down, particularly when in attacking positions. He had an excellent chance to square to Pau when on the break but made the wrong call. Getty

Alexis Mac Allister 7 – Much better from the Argentine, who linked well with Trossard and caused City problems. Player slightly deeper and it suited his style of play. AP

SUBS: Neal Maupay (Tau, 68) 5 – Had a great chance when through on goal but was denied by a fabulous last-ditch tackle from Stones. EPA

Solly March (Propper, 68) 5 – March replaced Tau and Brighton were weakened as a result. He got into good crossing positions, but his final ball let him down. PA

Reda Khadra (Trossard, 86) N/A – Wasn’t on for long but made an impression; a sterling debut, albeit a very short cameo. AFP

Pep Guardiola admits Phil Foden is now starting to demand selection with his performances for Manchester City.

Foden netted his eighth City goal of the season - making him the club's top scorer this term - as City climbed to third in the Premier League with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brighton at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola has eased the 20-year-old into the first-team picture in recent seasons but his latest appearance was his fourth successive start.

The City manager said: "It was another good performance. He is a guy with a special instinct close to goal, not just with the left foot, but with the right foot. He deserves to play. His standards are higher.

"I try to judge the performance day by day and I have the feeling he lives his life 24 hours to play football. Today with a lot of distractions around our lives - clearly less now because we have to be at home - but when you see his face he is happy at training sessions and playing games.

"When that happens the rest is what everyone sees in his performance."

Foden settled a tight contest just before half-time with a superb strike from the edge of the area after a clever touch from a Kevin De Bruyne pass.

It was their fourth win in succession in the Premier League and extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 14 games.

City could have won more comfortably as Raheem Sterling missed a late penalty, Bernardo Silva hit the woodwork and Robert Sanchez made several good saves, but Brighton were resilient.

Guardiola said: "No matter if you are a top side, no matter the quality of players we have, when you have the bravery, courage and personality Graham Potter teams always have it will be difficult.

"In the last 20 minutes - not because we are bad but because they were good - we struggled. But it is a good signal for us. The best thing that could have happened was to win this way."

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe on the picture.