Foden’s clinical finish just before halftime on a wet night at the Etihad Stadium proved enough for City to claim a fourth successive league win, but it was far from comfortable.
Browsing: Brighton & Hove Albion
Aaron Connolly gave Brighton an early lead but Romain Saiss levelled with a header before Dan Burn scored an own goal and Ruben Neves converted a penalty to put Wolves in command by halftime.
Their hosts, meanwhile, have slumped to seven games without a win and are looking nervously at the clubs below them in the Premier League relegation dogfight.
The Hammers, who lost 3-0 at Chelsea on Monday night, have dropped down into 10th position in the table, while Brighton currently sit 17th, just two points clear of the relegation zone.
However, they needed help from the video assistant referee who disallowed a second-half goal for the visitors.
Having had to cope with injuries and a hectic schedule since the beginning of the season, it was no surprise that Leicester’s standards dropped immediately after the November international break.
The home side head into the encounter sitting in 12th position, while the visitors are down in 15th after claiming just one win from a tough opening to the campaign.
They joined in the quarter-finals Tottenham Hotspur who had a day earlier qualified with a penalty kick shootout victory over Chelsea.
Fernandes’s winner, which came after referee Chris Kavanagh had initially blown for full time, concluded an enthralling match which saw Brighton hit the woodwork five times and have a penalty overturned after a VAR review, while United had a goal ruled out in each half for offside
The reports did not name the players and Chelsea did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Clarets need a point to make this their best-ever campaign in the competition, while Brighton is playing for pride alone after securing their top-flight status last week.
City, who confirmed their place in next season’s European Cup with the 5-0 thrashing of Brighton & Hove Albion, lodged their appeal to CAS in February after Uefa’s club financial control body issued the suspension in February
As ever, Pep Guardiola was more than happy to rotate his side with six changes in total – including an entirely different backline from the back four that played in the 5-0 win over Newcastle.
The Seagulls were beaten at home by champions Liverpool on Wednesday night and now take on a Man City side looking to halt a poor run of away form.
Klopp said the development was as a result of the midfielder sustaining a knee injury in their midweek win at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Canaries go into the match now seven points from safety and with a return to the Championship looking increasingly likely, whereas Brighton have a six-point cushion to the bottom three with six games remaining.
Brighton, who are 15th in the standings, six points clear of the relegation zone, have picked up four points from three games since returning to action after a three-month break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both teams played out a 0-0 draw.
Meanwhile, Brighton will be looking for their first win of 2020 as they return to action following a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Balogun moved out of Germany for the first time when he signed for Premier League team, Brighton and Hove Albion, in 2018, after the expiration of his contract with Mainz O5.