Brighton sent Champions League warning by Gus Poyet after Man City win (exclusive)

Brighton & Hove Albion are firm contenders for Champions League football but cannot afford to slip up in games they would be expected to win, Gus Poyet has exclusively told Sports Mole.

The Seagulls' latest notable scalp arrived on Saturday, as Fabian Hurzeler's men stunned leaders Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad thanks to an early Yasin Ayari goal.

Brighton's triumph moved them onto 19 points from their opening nine games of the season, taking them to within just two points of Arsenal and Man City at the top of the Premier League table.

Fabian Hurzeler also masterminded a notable 3-0 win over Arsenal before the September/October international break, and his side's 24 goals is more than any other team in the English top flight.

Brighton's only two defeats in the Premier League this season have come away to Chelsea and Liverpool, although they did drop two points in a 1-1 draw with Leeds United at the Amex Stadium on September 5.

Gus Poyet sends Brighton Champions League warning after Man City win

Therefore, Poyet - who managed Brighton between 2009 and 2013 - has warned the Seagulls that they could lose their Champions League contenders tab if they start dropping points against bottom-half teams.

"Games against the top sides are key of course, but it doesn’t determine Champions League contenders or not," Poyet said in an exclusive interview with Sports Mole.

"For me I would say Brighton are a contender. I see them pushing for a top-six position and being in Europe, so this is an improvement from last season.

"It’s great to perform well against the big sides, but if you drop points to the teams at the bottom, then you can’t be looking to be a contender. Up until now, Brighton are in the hunt for sure."

What does Brighton's fixture list look like?

As well as getting the better of Arsenal and Man City, Brighton have also bested Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Coventry City, keeping clean sheets against each of the latter four.

Palace, Coventry and Sunderland all find themselves in the lower echelons of the Premier League table, so Brighton cannot be accused of slipping up against teams in and around the relegation places so far.

An extremely kind run of fixtures now awaits the Seagulls, who meet Brentford, Hull City, Newcastle United, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Ipswich Town in their next seven top-flight games.

If the Seagulls emerge from that run with at least five wins under their belt, their Champions League credentials will only be enhanced, but question marks will creep in with just a couple of dissatisfactory results.

Gus Poyet was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of William Hill sports betting.