Manchester City’s recent slump continued on Wednesday evening as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion, marking their third consecutive Premier League match without a win. The champions now find themselves five points behind leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand against Liverpool on Thursday.
The opening goal arrived four minutes before the halftime whistle when Erling Haaland confidently converted a penalty kick. The spot-kick was awarded after VAR upheld the referee’s decision that Jeremy Doku had been fouled inside the box by Diego Gomez. For Haaland, the goal represented a significant milestone as his 150th for Manchester City, while also ending a three-game goal drought and taking him to 20 Premier League goals for the campaign.
City began the second half aggressively, seeking to extend their advantage. Bernardo Silva had an excellent opportunity when Brighton gifted possession to the Portuguese midfielder, but his attempt cannoned off the post. The match became increasingly contentious when City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper engaged in a confrontation that required the referee’s intervention, resulting in yellow cards for both players.
Brighton’s equalizer came in the 60th minute through Kaoru Mitoma, who demonstrated exceptional skill and composure. The Japanese international received a pass from a wide position, took a touch to steady himself at the edge of the box, and guided a beautifully weighted shot into the far corner, beyond Donnarumma’s reach.
The visitors grew in confidence after scoring, taking control of the game’s tempo and creating several opportunities to claim all three points. Mitoma was instrumental in Brighton’s best chance, delivering a cross to Gomez inside the box, but the midfielder’s effort was blocked by Donnarumma. The ball rebounded to Mitoma, whose shot from a narrow angle struck the post. As the match entered its final stages, Haaland found himself in a one-on-one situation with Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, but the Dutch keeper produced a superb save to deny the Norwegian and ensure Brighton left with a hard-earned point.