Brighton & Hove Albion arrive at the very end of these nine seasons. Their one Premier League season here is 2017/18; the eight before it were spent outside the Premier League.
City beat them twice: 2–0 at Brighton on 12 August and 3–1 at City on 9 May. Brighton took nothing from City, so the rebuild takes nothing from Brighton. All 40 points stay.
Take City out and every club below the champions starts one place higher. Brighton go from 15th to 14th of 19. That is the free place: City’s place, not a climb. The fate is the same either way. Brighton finish seven points above the drop, safe in their first season here with or without City, and 38 points behind the champions.
It is a quiet story, and an honest one. Nothing moves because nothing Brighton did involved beating City.