Man City player ratings vs Brighton as Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden brilliant

Manchester City leapfrogged Liverpool and moved to within a point of Premier League leaders Arsenal with a ruthless display at Brighton on Thursday.

City went into the game having seen Arsenal move four points ahead of them in their last two games, while Liverpool could only move one point ahead in their two fixtures since the Blues last played. Liverpool's defeat to Everton on Wednesday gave City a perfect opportunity to leapfrog them with a game still in hand this week, and also move just a point behind Arsenal having played one game less.

But they still had to beat Brighton to make the most of the opportunity, and went strong at the Amex Stadium to do that - Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva completed the attacking midfield trio behind Julian Alvarez in Erling Haaland's absence. The teamsheet justified itself before the break, with De Bruyne guiding in a brilliant diving header before a Phil Foden brace that had two slices of fortune but were both earned by Foden's relentless pressing.

Alvarez added a fourth in a quieter second half, as Guardiola made changes to his side ahead of a quick turnaround before the trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

ALSO READ: Man City vs Brighton highlights and reaction

We rated the players at the Amex below:

Ederson: Rarely tested, and calm in possession. Always looking for a long-ball assist, but that didn't quite come off against Brighton this time! 6

Kyle Walker: Often the furthest man forward, Walker clipped a perfect ball back for De Bruyne's opener, and got a second assist when he burst into the box for the fourth. 7

Manuel Akanji: When do we start to consider Akanji as a first-choice defender? Picked ahead of Stones and Dias, Akanji is now comfortable moving into