Phil Foden’s first half strike settled a tight contest as Pep Guardiola’s side extended our unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions to move up to third in the Premier League.
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Having missed several good opportunities to double our lead, City were forced to dig deep in the closing stages and whilst Dias admits the game was closer than he would have liked, he was pleased with the resilience shown to come through a tough test unscathed.
“It was harder than we wanted but we were already expecting it because we knew the power of Brighton,” he said.
“They are really good, play really well, they have quality players and a good idea to play. They made it tough for us but we still got what we wanted.
“When you are winning 1-0 the game starts to go to the final end. Things tend to be like this.
“If we had scored just one of the many chances we had in the first half or the second half, the game would become different.
“We didn’t score, we needed to hang tight and we did it.”
The shut out was City’s 16th clean sheet of the season and, once again, Dias’ blossoming partnership with John Stones was central to victory.
Guardiola’s men currently boast the meanest defence in the Premier League, having conceded just three goals in the 11 games since our 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in November.
Such form has earned Dias and Stones widespread praise, but the 23-year-old says the whole team deserves credit and believes City’s battling qualities will prove vital in the second half of the season.
“It is my relationship with John and also the rest of the team,” added the Portugal international.
“We don’t defend just the two of us. Obviously we are happy because if you don’t concede we are so much closer to be able to win. We have just got to keep working on it.
“The team showed a different face that might be very important for what is coming.”
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