Manchester City’s concerning recent form continued on Wednesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion, marking three consecutive Premier League matches without a victory. The champions now sit five points behind Arsenal in the title race.
The deadlock was broken four minutes before halftime when Erling Haaland converted a penalty awarded after Diego Gomez fouled Jeremy Doku in the Brighton box. VAR reviewed and confirmed the decision, allowing Haaland to score his 150th goal for the club. The strike also ended his three-game barren spell and took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season.
City appeared determined to build on their advantage after the restart, with Bernardo Silva almost doubling the lead when he capitalized on a Brighton error. However, his shot struck the post, keeping the visitors in contention. The match became heated when City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper engaged in a confrontation, resulting in yellow cards for both players.
Brighton equalized in the 60th minute through Kaoru Mitoma, who produced a moment of brilliance. The Japanese winger received a pass from the flank, composed himself at the edge of the penalty area, and curled a low shot into the far corner with precision.
The visitors took command after scoring, slowing the game’s pace and building attacks carefully. They nearly completed a remarkable turnaround when Mitoma created an opportunity for Gomez inside the penalty area, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s follow-up attempt from near the goal line struck the woodwork. City’s final chance fell to Haaland in injury time when he broke clear of the Brighton defense, but Verbruggen’s outstanding save denied him and ensured the spoils were shared.