Why unique Brighton defence is so tricky to unpick

City, as well as the likes of Paris St-Germain and Arsenal, have used their full-backs in these unorthodox attacking positions as it poses difficult questions to the opponent who tracks them.

These players tend to find space as opposing wingers are typically less willing to track an attacking full-back all the way into their own box.

Hurzeler has used Maxim de Cuyper as his left winger this season, but the Belgian has played the majority of his career at left-back. This has equipped him with the work-rate and defensive nous to deal with the modern, roaming attacking full-back.

In man-to-man fashion, De Cuyper followed Nunes all the way into his fixed position higher up the pitch, and ended up defending at left centre-back - as Brighton created a back five. When Brighton had the ball, De Cuyper was back playing at left wing.

Remember Brighton keeping a +1 at the back? Naturally, this leaves the other team with a spare player somewhere else. It is usually one of the opposition centre-backs who remain unmarked, finding themselves with time and space on the ball.

In an ideal situation, a centre-back less confident on the ball would be a good candidate to leave unmarked.

But even for impressive ball-playing defenders, the challenge is that every player they could pass to remains marked or could become marked in a fraction of a second based on how Brighton set-up.

Brighton are also continually shifting, looking to find moments in which one player can spring to press the unmarked centre-back on the ball. When this jump happens, Brighton will lock on to a full man-to-man press, looking to force a turnover or push the opposition back towards their keeper.

There are solutions to this organised yet man-oriented defending and Abdukodir Khusanov's powerful ball-carrying from a wider position was perhaps the best Manchester City had on show.

But combining key principles in the form of blocking the centre of the pitch and not being baited into mindlessly tracking players looking to stretch their shape, while still locking on to individual players nearby, make Brighton an incredibly difficult puzzle for teams to solve.

For as potent as they have been in attack, it is their bravery in defence that has given them the platform.