Frustration continued to mount for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City on Wednesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion, their third consecutive Premier League match without a victory. The champions now find themselves five points behind Arsenal in the title race.
City opened the scoring four minutes before halftime through an Erling Haaland penalty. The Norwegian converted after VAR confirmed that Diego Gomez had fouled Jeremy Doku inside the penalty area. The goal was significant for Haaland as it marked his 150th for Manchester City, ended a three-match scoring drought, and took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season.
The second half began with City pushing for a crucial second goal. Bernardo Silva appeared to have provided it when he pounced on a Brighton defensive error, but his shot struck the post and bounced to safety. The match’s temperature rose when City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper engaged in a heated confrontation, with both goalkeepers shown yellow cards.
Brighton restored parity in the 60th minute through a well-taken goal from Kaoru Mitoma. The Japanese winger received a pass from the flank, composed himself at the edge of the penalty area, and guided a low shot into the far corner with precision.
The visitors seized the initiative after equalizing, controlling possession and building attacks methodically. They came within inches of taking the lead when Mitoma’s excellent work created a chance for Gomez inside the box, but the midfielder’s effort was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s attempt to convert the rebound from a tight angle struck the post. City had one final opportunity to claim all three points when Haaland found himself one-on-one with Verbruggen in injury time, but the Brighton goalkeeper’s superb save preserved the draw.