Manchester City’s uncharacteristic poor form continued on Wednesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion at home, marking their third consecutive Premier League match without a win. The champions now sit five points behind leaders Arsenal.
Erling Haaland gave City the lead from the penalty spot four minutes before halftime after Diego Gomez fouled Jeremy Doku in the Brighton box. VAR confirmed the decision, and Haaland converted to score his 150th goal for Manchester City. The strike also ended his three-match goal drought and took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season.
City nearly extended their lead shortly after the restart when Bernardo Silva pounced on a Brighton defensive error, but his shot rebounded off the post. The match became heated when City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper engaged in a confrontation, with both goalkeepers shown yellow cards.
Brighton drew level in the 60th minute through a well-taken goal from Kaoru Mitoma. The Japanese winger collected a pass from the flank, positioned himself at the edge of the penalty area, and curled a low shot into the far corner with excellent technique.
The visitors took control after equalizing, slowing the game’s pace and building attacks carefully. They came desperately close to taking the lead when Mitoma’s creative play found Gomez inside the penalty area, but the midfielder’s effort was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s attempt to convert the rebound from near the goal line struck the post. City had one final chance 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.