Manchester City’s pursuit of the Premier League title suffered another setback on Wednesday as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion. The result represents the third consecutive league match in which City have drawn and leaves them five points behind leaders Arsenal, who have 48 points compared to City’s 43.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring four minutes before halftime, converting a penalty after Jeremy Doku was brought down by Diego Gomez. The decision was confirmed following a VAR review, and Haaland confidently dispatched the spot-kick to score his 150th goal for Manchester City and his 20th in the Premier League this season, ending a three-match goal drought.
The second half began with City pushing for a crucial second goal, and Bernardo Silva came close when his shot following a Brighton error struck the post. The match became heated when goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Maxim De Cuyper were involved in an altercation, resulting in both players receiving yellow cards from the referee.
Brighton equalised on the hour mark through the impressive Kaoru Mitoma, who demonstrated excellent technique to guide a low shot into the far corner from the edge of the box. The Japanese winger received a pass from wide and calmly slotted home to spark Brighton into life and shift the momentum of the match.
After levelling the score, Brighton took control and came within inches of securing all three points when Mitoma’s effort from a tight angle struck the post. In the final moments, Haaland had a glorious opportunity to win the match for City, but Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen produced an outstanding save to deny him and ensure his team departed with a share of the spoils.