A stunning freekick from Kevin De Bruyne earned Manchester City a 1-0 victory at Leicester City, but Graham Potter’s return to Brighton & Hove Albion turned into a nightmare when he suffered his first defeat since taking charge of Chelsea in a 1-4 loss on Saturday

De Bruyne’s strike moved City back to the top of the Premier League. With top goalscorer Erling Haaland missing a Premier League game for the first time since arriving at City through injury, the visitors lacked a cutting edge in the first half.

It was clear it would take something special to unlock the determined hosts, with Belgian midfielder De Bruyne stepping up, firing an unstoppable free-kick into the net four minutes after the break to put City in front. Leicester tried to hit back, but failed.

“We have proved we can win with or without Erling Haaland,” De Bruyne told BT Sport.

At Brighton, Potter had a tough day.

Potter left Brighton to succeed outgoing coach Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea last month. His return to the south coast to face his former employers for the first time, armed with a nine-match unbeaten record in all competitions at his new club, turned into a nightmare.

The hosts made a blistering start at the Amex Stadium, racing into the lead inside five minutes through a well-taken Leandro Trossard goal. They had a quick second after Ruben Loftus-Cheek diverted a corner into his own net. Another own goal from Trevoh Chalobah made it three for Brighton three minutes before the interval.

Kai Havertz’s header pulled one back for Chelsea in the second half, but the damage had already been done.

Pascal Gross’s last-gasp fourth goal capped a fine afternoon for Potter’s successor Roberto De Zerbi, Chelsea stay fifth, eight points behind leaders Manchester City.

Elsewhere, Newcastle United hammered Aston Villa 4-0, with Callum Wilson netting twice, while Tottenham Hotspur claimed a stunning 3-2 victory at Bournemouth from two goals down.