Manchester City’s Premier League title aspirations suffered another blow on Wednesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium. The result marks the third consecutive league match in which City have drawn and leaves them five points adrift of leaders Arsenal, who have 48 points and face Liverpool in a crucial encounter.
The hosts opened the scoring four minutes before halftime through Erling Haaland, who converted from the penalty spot after Jeremy Doku was fouled by Diego Gomez. Following a VAR review that upheld the referee’s decision, Haaland stepped up to score his 150th goal for Manchester City and his 20th in the Premier League this season, ending a three-match goal drought.
City appeared poised to secure all three points when Bernardo Silva struck the post early in the second half after pouncing on a Brighton error. The match became contentious when goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Maxim De Cuyper clashed, with both receiving yellow cards for their involvement.
Brighton drew level in the 60th minute through Kaoru Mitoma, who demonstrated excellent composure to guide a low shot into the bottom corner from just outside the box. The equaliser transformed the match, with Brighton taking control and dictating proceedings as City struggled to reassert their authority.
The visitors dominated the closing stages and came within inches of securing all three points when Mitoma’s effort from a tight angle rattled the post. In the final moments, Haaland had a golden opportunity to win the match for City, but Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen produced a magnificent save to deny him, leaving City’s title hopes looking increasingly precarious.