Yasin Ayari scored the only goal in the 11th minute, with Brighton holding firm against sustained pressure to record their first victory at the Etihad. The result followed City's 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa and left Maresca searching for answers to familiar problems.
The Manchester City manager admitted his players were experiencing the same frustration as they had after the previous weekend's loss.
“It's very similar feeling than we had after Aston Villa game.
“Unfortunately, we created enough to get some points but we didn't score. In this moment, it's like this.
“We did enough to deserve something but we need to move on and try to win games.
“In the last two or three games it's happened many times [defensive lapses] but we need to analyse how to do better and move on.
“In this moment, we are second in terms of goals scored in the Premier League so that means we are scoring.
“We are conceding silly goals and we can avoid that. Hopefully we can avoid that in the next game.”
Brighton took advantage of a defensive mistake to score through Ayari, before producing a disciplined performance to protect their advantage.
Hurzeler believed his players' conviction that they could win at one of the league's most difficult venues was fundamental to the result.
“It means a lot for the team and for the club. I said before the game it's about belief, it's about having the confidence to come here and win this game, and I think my players suffered but they stuck together. It was not the easiest game and, of course, in some moments we also had luck, but in the end we always had this conviction that we could win this game.
“I'm really happy and I'm really proud of the players.
“Of course, in certain moments we had to suffer. We didn't have that many ball possession phases like we wanted to have, but I think it's also credit to City that they pressed quite intensely.”
The Brighton manager was also pleased that his team continued looking for a second goal rather than concentrating exclusively on defending their lead.
“We always tried to go for the second goal. I think at the beginning of the second half we had opportunities. We had one or two chances. I think the biggest one was with Maxim (De Cuyper) and we tried to go for a second. But City tried to equalise. We had a great goalkeeper and a great mindset to defend together, and I think that brought us the win today.”
Hurzeler highlighted the collective commitment required to withstand City's pressure, praising his players for maintaining their organisation throughout the contest.
“There's an old phrase – defence wins you battles and wins you championships. Of course, we're not speaking about the championship, but especially today we needed to have this defensive mindset. It's always a togetherness when you defend like we did.
“In the end, if the team is successful, then of course individuals shine, but we always try to focus on the togetherness.”
The victory was particularly satisfying for Brighton's travelling supporters, with 3,044 fans making the journey to Manchester.
“Coming to this place, against the best team in the league, you need to have belief. And it was just very important that we can give something back to our fans because they had another long travel for the second time here to Manchester after Wednesday.
“We couldn't give them the win then and they were definitely disappointed, but today they are happy. I think that's always the most important thing – that the supporters are always happy and we keep building the connection towards each other and we can keep pushing.”