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Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan dreams of denying Man City at the death

Brighton & Hove Albion may not have won any of their last nine matches in all competitions, but goalkeeper Mathew Ryan has hopes of denying Manchester City the English Premier League title on Sunday.

The teams meet in their final fixture of the season, with league leaders City guaranteed to pip Liverpool to the title if they win at The Amex.

Pep Guardiola's side are heavy favourites to brush aside Brighton, having won their last 13 league matches.

But Ryan believes it won't be straightforward on Sunday, as he recalled the final day of the 2011/12 season. Then, unfancied Queens Park Rangers were on the verge of denying City the crown before two injury-time goals gave the Citizens a 3-2 win and their first title in 44 years.

He told Brighton-based newspaper The Argus: "The most surreal thing is having friends and family who are Liverpool supporters and having the opportunity to have such a big influence on history.

"I can't help but think back to Man City a few years back when they played QPR and they almost caused the biggest upset.

"I keep imagining and hoping in that situation, if it comes up again, to make that big last-ditch save to affect the result.

"If you can do that, in similar circumstances, that would be a memory I would cherish for the rest of my life."

However, former Southampton defender Danny Higginbotham believes anything less than a City win would be an "incredible" result.

He told Sky Sports: "It would be absolutely incredible and it would be a massive turn up if Brighton were to get a point off Manchester City."

Former England striker Alan Shearer agreed, telling the BBC: "It has been a title race like no other I can remember, because of the relentless way both teams (Liverpool and City) have kept on getting results."

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